FIC....Bringing back the dead

[aristastarfyr]

Timeline: Approximately 4 years after Sean's death and three years after the birth of their daughter.


They visited in June when the sun was the strongest and the breezes were warm. The farm was nice but everyone decided to invade the Project instead and enjoy the sun and acres of woods. The children liked the animals and Wren was due to have her baby soon.

"Come *on*, Raph! Just a little hint!" Ever since Mikey found out that Raph knew what Wren was having, he refused to be patient and wait like everyone else.

"Nope! I was sworn to secrecy and Ninja's Honor." It wasn't all that often that Raphael was entrusted with something like a secret- not like this one, anyway. And the turtle had every intention of keeping it. "Already told you it's not a litter of puppies so you know the dad ain't Rex."

"Genetically speaking, Raphael, Rex couldn't be the genetic donor, anyway." Donatello lifted a finger up as he spoke to further validate his point. "Canines and humans share only 84% DNA. You'd have a better chance with a Chimpanzee since they share 96% DNA together."

Raph threw his brother a blank look. "Really, Don?"

"It's important to be accurate."

"Guys, we're almost to the house," Leo warned as he shifted Musashi a bit in the harness. The baby had started walking just as the others but the adults wanted to cover distance quickly. Once the house was declared baby safe the trio of turtle toddlers could run rampant.

The homestead hadn't changed since the last time they were here. However there seemed to be an aire of anticipation and stillness at the house. Leo felt it distinctly and frowned just a bit as they kept walking. Was there an issue that hadn't been revealed to them?

Mikey wasn't going to shut up. "Think Mama-Ari will have those cookies she bakes?" If he sensed that anything was amiss he ignored it and kept babbling. His mind was currently geared on food and he'd taken to calling Hawke's mom the pet name Mikey gave her.

"If no, she can make some for ya and the kids," Raph muttered, immediately picking up on Leo's unease and missing the chance to retort with a sarcastic remark. As the 'clan tank' he was ready to run into battle if need be The rest of his brothers had the kids to contend with and Raph would hold off any dangers until the children were secured and his brothers could help as back up. Thankfully the plan had never been needed but the drill of 'silent and hidden' were instilled into the three youngsters every day. All three babies knew the Japanese words for *hide* and *find* and usually they performed their tasks well-for yearlings who were extremely curious and energetic.

Raphael threw Leo a glance as he made a non-committal motion. Over the years some of the kirin body language was added to Leo's current physical cues which kept their team tightly bonded and nearly unstoppable back home. Should they face adversaries with Hawke's family, they could also follow the signals. For now, Leo answered Raph's silent question. He was uneasy, but didn't know why.

A few heartbeats later Donnie picked it up as well, shushing MIkey. "Do you think something's wrong?"

"It's probably the skull," Leo replied, knowing that his gut was telling him otherwise.

"Leave it to that crazy woman's stuff to set Leo off," Raph grumbled, not settling down, either.

"*Raph-ael*," Mikey scolded, falling into the old habit of taunting while letting his hand drop to his pouch of throwing stars as he turned to look behind them. He'd cover the back as Raph covered the front. Old habits were hard to break even if they were in what their human friends would consider 'safe space.' "You shouldn't talk about the kids' grandma like that."

Raph kept up the ruse, stepping forward now to take the lead. If they were being listened to, they wouldn't give any indication that they knew something was wrong. "*HA.* She's not their grandma. She *hates* that term."

"She never complains when *I* call her that."

"It's because she takes pity on you. She doesn't want ta hurt your feelings."

"At least I don't claim not to have them."

There was a lull in the taunting as they still made their way up the hill to the house. Even the babies had quietted down their chatter in response to their parents' new tension. Then it hit Leo. They had yet to see a unicorn since they came through the portal. *Always,* there was one or two slinking in the shadows to escort them to the house. "We have no shadows," Leo said quietly, still trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Dude, you're right!" Mikey didn't like that either. The larger equines would come over to snuff the babies into happy fits and not having any of them do that unsettled him. "I wonder where they all went."

The mystery was solved quickly enough when they found the small band of five at the inner gardens of the house, all of them lowing with their feet tucked underneath them. Ears swivelled in the direction of the turtles but they didn't move. It was as if they were waiting. It was the Black who whickered a greeting.

Leo offered a soft smile as Musashi squealed, reaching out with pudgy hands to capture the unicorn's fleshy nose. "What's going on?"

"We are waiting," the unicorn replied before blowing air at the baby's face. It was amazing to watch such a large and potentially dangerous creature care for such a tiny being. Musashi giggled in delight, patting the unicorn's face happily.

Mikey fidgeted as Ada reached out to touch another unicorn. "Waiting for what?"

The answer came in two parts. The first part was a soft, pained cry from inside the house and the second was the Black's answer. "A new life."

"She's having the baby?!" Mikey gasped, halfway to the door before he was curtailed by his mate. "Can I watch? It's gonna be *so cool!*"

"I don't think running in with Ada strapped to you is a good idea, Mikey." Don had been researching human births and he was quite content with their odd method of breeding after that insight.

"Why not?"

"For one, it might be a while, still. I've been looking about the subject online and first pregnancies tend to have a longer labor time compared to seconds and thirds. That and the human pelvis--" Donnie paused when he heard Raph's exasperated sigh, then continued on. "--have evolved to be better suited for walking upright, not necessarily allowing a head with an enlarged brain through." Donnie fixed a single glare on his older brother as he went to open the door.

"So what you're saying is?"

Leo put a hand on MIkey's shoulder. "It'll probably be a while, still." He followed Donnie next, peeking cautiously into the main room to see if anyone was around. The place looked deserted but he knew otherwise with the sounds coming from somewhere else in the house.

Ari was just rounding the corner, offering an exhausted smile to the turtles as they piled inside. "Hi, boys. Come in before the bugs get inside." She didn't slow her steps to the kitchen to wash up to her elbows. Normally wearing something flowy with her hair down, it seemed uncharacteristic of her to have her hair up in a messy bun and sporting shorts and a sleeveless tank top. "Make yourselves at home for the time being, alright?"

"How is she?" Mikey was bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for an answer.

"She's doing just fine, Mike," Ari smiled, wrinkling her fact at the girl he held.

"Can we go say hi really quick or help or something?"

She turned the water off, shaking her hands out before taking the drying towel. "You can visit when the baby's here. Wren isn't up for visitors just yet." There was a tension in her face that both Leo and Don picked up. Raph and Mikey seemed oblivious to it. Was that because they had once been in a similar position that they could see it even though she smiled? 'She's already kicked Drake and Kohl out of the house and Hawke is in the meditation room."

Leo hopped up the stairs, giving Mikey a look to ask for some privacy as Don climbed the stairs. Sharing a look with his second youngest brother, he turned back to the harried mother. "Is everything okay? We thought she wouldn't be having the baby for a couple more weeks."

"You're right. She's a couple weeks early. Her midwife's away and backup broke her leg two days ago." That was the source of her tension. Even though Ari had come from a world where home births happened with great regularity, it was nice to have someone else there. They didn't have that security-especially if something went wrong. "Hawke planned to be here all month anyway, so that's a boon."

Donnie nodded in understanding while Leo still carried a bewildered expression. "You know I'm available if you need me."

"Of course, Don. Thank you." Her gaze flitted to Leo and her eyes softened. "Mammals are birthed in blood. We have a penchant for being...messy. Go say hi to Hawke, Leo. He'd really appreciate it. Now, I must go. Nature calls. Hopefully it won't be too much longer." She skirted around the turtles to head back into the bedroom.

*Birthed in blood...* "I'm glad we have eggs," Leo murmured softly before asking Don to take Musashi. He made his way towards the other end of the home and farther away from the sounds Wren was making. His heart went out to her even though he was glad to move to the quieter part of the house. The door to the meditation room was open and he could hear a familiar sound within that brought a knowing smile to him; the steady rhythm of a blade being honed against a wet stone.

"Hey." Leo smiled a little more as he watched Hawke work his knife. It was something that drew them together in addition to being lovers; they both had blades they devoted their lives to and relied their lives upon. Hawke didn't lift his head but he did smile.

[I didn't expect you here]

Hawke sharpening his knife was one indicator that he was worried and stressed. The second was that he didn't use English. Leo came into the room completely, kneeling down in front of his friend. [We wanted to visit Wren before the baby came.]

[Babies choose to do their own thing.] With a small sigh, he lifted the knife from the stone and wiped the oil away with a thumb and forefinger. It was a black switch blade that Wren had given him one birthday. The runes of his magic were etched so that the symbols were white against the graphite black color.

"Worried?" Once the knife was set aside, Leo felt it was appropriate to reach out and cover his friend's shoulder with a hand. He noted Hawke's nod and Leo hummed. "She's been through worse."

"I know," he said quietly. "She misses him and has chased the men away. I still cannot help shoulder the pain."

"How come you're not with your father and uncle?"

A wry smile crept on Hawke's face. "If there is too much blood, I need to be here." He couldn't leave with them for fear that if Wren needed him, he wouldn't get there on time. More than anything he wanted to be by her side but he also respected her wishes.

She still hadn't healed. It hadn't been a year yet. Leo's hand squeezed Hawke's shoulder. They were all still in pain, actually. "Here. Breathe with me for a bit before we go back out there. You won't be a help to her if you're not centered."

Finally Hawke reached up to touch the turtle's hand, giving it a squeeze in the process. "Thank you for being here."

"It's what family does, Hawke."

****

After ten hours of labor and two more of pushing (which the turtles were only present for about four of those) a new life was brought into the world. The healthy squeal alerted the turtles to the new arrival and Mikey gave a whoop of joy. "Way to go, Wren!" The turtle babies, having been taught early on that Mikey yelling was a good thing, screamed happily.

Mikey and the others made a bee-line for the door, each clamoring to get a peek at the new born with everyone carrying a silly grin on their faces. Ari had opened the door and nearly collided with the orange banded turtle. "Oof!"

"Boy or girl?" The youngest of the four was bouncing again in place, unable to keep still.

"Oh, no, Michelangelo. You'll find out with everyone else. And that's after Wren's made comfortable, thank you. If you want to have any chance of holding the wee one, you need to scrub down." Though her voice was stern, her eyes were twinkling with joy and no small amount of relief.

Mikey was off with the twins in each arm with the full intent of scrubbing the kids down as well as himself. The other turtles peeked inside to catch a glimpse of Wren kneeling on the floor looking completely exhausted but pleased as she leaned against the bed, watching her aunt's back. There was the sighting of a flailing limb in front of Dar, but no other indication of gender.

About an hour later Wren was decent to have visitors and was in a rocking chair in a long night gown, rocking her newborn as she hummed softly. She'd already counted fingers and toes half a dozen times and stopped herself from crying at least three times. Hawke entered first, looking anxious as he trained his eyes on his sister first. Wren smiled, murmuring the baby's name to him with the tone so low no one else could hear at first. He grinned, whispering blessings as he touched the baby's head with careful fingers. Raph was next, looking just as uncertain as Hawke had been moments before. "How is she?"

"Hey, Red." Wren had taken to giving Raph that nickname ever since she discovered him watching her sleep. "She's good. Come say hi to your niece."

All of the other turtles watched in the door way as Raph moved closer. He didn't look like he was in any position to accept a baby at the moment and tried to deflect the offer. "Did you keep the name?" He peered carefully when Wren unwrapped the bundle so the turtle could take a closer look. The newborn looked nothing like his son when 'Sashi was hatched. She was rosy pink with an almost pushed up pig nose and her hands were curled into tight fists. There was a dusting of hair on her head but her eyes were closed so their color was still unknown.

"Alanna Jade." Wren sounded sweet as she murmured the name, watching the others enter with a quiet reverence.

Leo couldn't help but smile as well, staying in the background but acting more a shadow by Raph and Hawke. "Sounds like there's a meaning behind it."

"'Otherworldy Treasure.'" Wren watched with a small giggle when Mikey came up to whisper excitedly.

"Hey, there, AJ! This is your Uncle Mikey. You know, the one you like to rock out with? Bet your cool mom's gonna let us teach your ninjitsu while she makes you learn like a bazillion languages, right?"

"How about we start with crawling, first?"

As the discussion continued, an insect made it through the room and landed delicately on the swaddling. Raph startled, ready to knock it away when Wren stopped him. "Don't. It's a dragonfly."

"So?"

"Dragonflies are messengers," Wren explained quietly, taking in the brilliant colors of reds and purples of the irredescent insect. "They say when a loved one comes to visit, it's through a dragonfly." The insect flitted away and Wren was forced to blink rapidly for a few moments. "Do you want to hold her?"

"ME?! Uh..." Raph glanced at everyone else, hoping someone else would volunteer first. No one came to rescue him. Assholes. Hawke grinned, lifting the newborn to put into Raph's hands. "I'll drop her."

"Your son seems undamaged." Before Raph could say anything else, there was a bundle in his hands, squirming slightly at the change of position. "Support her neck and head and you will be fine."

Raph was a sudden mass of awkwardness as he looked at Wren and then his brothers. *Great.* Leo was giving him that sappy, dopey look again so he decided that looking at the slightly squirming bundle was the best recourse. Okay, so maybe she was a little cute. Not as cute as Musashi was when he was hours old, but still. "AJ, huh? This is your Uncle Raph--which I'm sure you'll pick up really quick."

"That or Uncle Red," Wren offered with a grin. Mikey sputtered, grinning from ear to ear as even Leo chuckled a bit.

"Har har." He couldn't give any effective death glares when he was holding a baby. "Anyway. You've got the best family you're ever going to get. We'll go to the ends of the earth for family, no matter what. You'll be protected and most importantly..." He leaned in a little closer as if he was sharing a secret..."You know. Loved."


Wren held onto that memory as she was dragged back to the surface, sirens blaring even though the sound seemed faint. There was heat, a flickering light and screams and cries around her. She felt dizzy. It wasn't until she tried to move that the sharp pain shot up through her arm. Her eyes rolled as they tried to focus and she couldn't figure out what happened.

That's when it registered. Wren had been working on a job in New York and decided to bring her three year old with her.. It wasn't a difficult job and had a lot of down time so she could show her daughter the sights. At the very least the park and maybe the zoo. She remembered walking down one of the streets and there was a breeze that brushed by them, followed by what she thought was a dragonfly-unusual for such an insect to be in the city, wasn't it?

Then the world had exploded.

There was screaming but it wasn't coming from her. The sound was focusing now, as was her pain. Wren grunted softly, turning to find her daughter crying, patting her face as she was trying to get her mother up. "It's okay, AJ." But everything was far from okay. She was certain that her wrist was broken and there was blood coming from a gash on the girl's head. Wren blocked out the sirens and focused on her daughter. Moving was pure agony but she forced herself to move. She couldn't allow herself to feel the pain and dizziness and she needed to fight down the urge to throw up. "Come here, baby." It was a struggle to sit up. Her equalibrium was making it hard to see one girl, let alone three of them. With her left hand, she gently took the toddler's arm to draw her close. Ignoring her own pain, her fingers gently pressed on Alanna's wounds to stop the bleeding. Crooning softly to her, she missed the fact that two men came upon her.

"That them? Just the girl, right?"

"Yeah, that's what he said."

Startled, Wren couldn't figure out what was happening. One guy grabbed Alanna, pulling her away from Wren and making the toddler shriek. The sound tore through the young mother's skull and she gasped, fighting off a fresh wave of nausea as she reached for her child. "No! She's mine."

There was something in the guy's voice that made Wren's insides freeze. "Not anymore."

"Let her go!" Her shout was nothing more than a crack and with panic rising quickly, Wren struggled to get up. She heard a heart wrenching 'mama!' from her girl and she whined, trying to get up and go to her.

"Shut up, bitch." The second man cuffed her on the side of the head. Hard.

Wren went down, whimpering and fighting for consciousness when she landed on her injured hand. The last thing she saw was the glint of a dragon pendant before blackness took her. She woke to swaying killing her already painful head. The rocking back and forth would have almost be considered soothing if not for that infernal wail. She hissed, trying to lift her hand and noted something big and bulky surrounded it.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty's awake."

Wren's eyes flew open. *No*... The accent was off. It was Brooklyn or maybe Long Island...but the timbre and cadence? The *same*. Her eyes lifted up to watch the paramedic adjust the IV hovering over her, his blue eyes on some reading and then flickering down at her. She felt her heart clench and her breath catch, the steady beeping of a machine suddenly going faster. No way. There was just *No Way.*

"Care to tell me your name, Beautiful?"

Oh gods. It *was* him! But how was that possible? He was *dead*. Did that mean...no. She hurt too much to be dead. He never saw his daughter born. His daughter-- "My baby." Wren's voice croaked painfully as more adrenaline shot into her system. "They took her." Her struggles were useless but she still tried to get up past her restraints.

The men who looked like her husband put a firm hand on her shoulder. "There were multiple responders to the scene. We'll find your daughter as soon as you're fixed up, alright?"

"Her name's AJ--"

"--Probably in another 'bus, right now. She's safe."

"*No.*" The intensity of pain and fear in that one word gave the paramedic pause. "She's not safe and I have to find her."

"Look. Ma'am." He watched her silver eyes for a moment, waiting for her to give him a name. When she didn't, he sighed. "You have a concussion, a fractured wrist and some heavy duty lacerations with embedded glass that I can't remove. The blast took out half the city block. Surrounding hospitals are taking in trauma patients. When you can walk on your own, you can go find her but right now you need to stay *put* and answer my questions. Are we clear?"

She couldn't cry. She wouldn't allow herself to cry. It was all hitting too close to home, smashing through all of her defenses and she didn't know how to protect herself. Why was this man so much *like* him? "Y-yes, sir."

"What's your name?"

"Jenny." Her heart twisted and her chest clenched when the paramedic didn't react to the wrong name.

"Okay, Jenny. What day is it?"

"Friday."

"What's the next major holiday from now?"

"Obon." Wren huffed when the man stared at her. "You didn't say what country."

"How about the one you're in right now?"

"Labor Day." A pause. "We're in the US."

"Good. Nice to see all your faculties are there."

*Oh, Sean.* Wren turned to look at the wall of the ambulance, too saddened and in pain to figure out what was happening.




Five days in hell. They felt like hell after they put her through surgery for her wrist and gashes. Sleep hadn't been restful, just unconscious. Due to the pain meds there were no dreams and the effects dulled her mind to the point where thinking wasn't constructive.

None of her bank accounts worked. She couldn't call her parents-the number actually belonged to an elderly couple in Nebraska. She asked for her daughter constantly but no one knew of the little girl. The paramedic who helped her even tried helping. Her suspicions, although fuzzy, were correct; the guy's name was Sean and thought he was from New York, his looks, personality and name were the same. Her Sean was living quite well in another dimension which made her feel even worse than before. After looking at a picture of Alanna, he even commented at how she almost looked like his child if he had one. It was all Wren could do to not burst into tears. A missing persons report was filed with the same picture once it was determined that AJ wasn't in a hospital, the morgue or with CPS.

Finally when she was allowed to be discharged from the hospital she had confirmation that this wasn't *her* New York. Somehow she and her daughter had to have been sucked into this dimension but the whys and hows of it weren't forthcoming. All she knew now was that she had no shelter, no money and no support system.

Sean offered a place to stay. His one bedroom wasn't anything to write home about but the bed was comfortable. He offered to kill his back on the couch. Wren admitted that she lived in the midwest and her parents were out of the country. Her husband had died in a tragic accident before Alanna was born. Under no circumstances was she going to leave New York without her child. And while she had a million reasons to say no to Sean's invitation, she didn't. As for extra clothes had a little bit of savings to splurge with and Wren fought him against that. She wasn't a damsel in distress. She was hell bent on paying him back once the lasting effects of her concussion faded away and she could seriously think without wanting to puke in the process.

Five days turned into two weeks and Wren was no closer to finding her daughter. The one luxury she asked for was a notebook. She wrote down all she could remember before the explosion and the two men. Being ever the cryptic, the notes were written in several languages just so prying eyes couldn't read them. She avoided Chinese and Japanese given the dragon symbol she remembered.

When Sean worked, Wren searched for the streets for clues for as long as her injuries allowed. She would walk for hours, searching for some lead that may help her find her girl. She came up with nothing. It was as if she disappeared without a trace. When some borrowed cash she bought a paint can-bright blue-and in various areas where the graffiti was thick and fresh she painted. Her artwork looked more like scribbling than anything else but she was satisfied with it. It would only have meaning for the people she knew anyway.

By the third week her headaches were gone. She stayed out later when Sean had overnight shifts, roaming the streets and trying to ask questions about the blast. She could tolerate louder noises of bars and clubs but there were no leads to be found there. The anguish over her missing daughter killed her appetite and Sean practically force fed her every moment he had. Sleeping was even worse.

Every so often Sean spotted something other than grief and fear. Wren kept herself guarded, extremely guarded-so when he caught it he made certain not to make a big deal out of it. There were times when he caught her watching him and the expression of longing and adoration was so sharp on her features he could feel his heart clench in response. Then when she noticed she was staring she would turn away, flushed with embarrassment at being caught. The few times he managed to get her to speak he learned only a few things and was left with more questions than answers. One night when he had off Sean decided that a break would be good for her. No, it was necessary! Wren had been working herself to the bone and getting no where fast. It was time to recharge.

Against her better judgement, Wren allowed Sean to take her out to dinner in China Town. He swore that there was this awesome noodle shop with the best cook around. Wren smiled at his antics, shaking her head as she walked and adjusted her sling before stepping inside. While she was no battle-hardened warrior, she scanned the interior and silently plotted out potential escape routs. Her eyes studied the few people who were present, first searching out familiar faces and then any identifying possessions. One young woman who was eating with an older man lifted her eyes to Wren after Wren looked at her for a moment. She shifted her gaze slowly so it didn't seem that she was looking at the woman on purpose. "Let's sit over here, Sean." Close to the emergency exit but not so that she was cornered. It afforded her the advantage of keeping an eye on the front door as well as the patrons of the resturant. Sean didn't notice the strategic positioning and Wren couldn't tell if anyone else did.

The chef behind the counter muttered a greeting and Wren replied in fluent Japanese, pleasing the older man and shocking the younger one with her. "You didn't tell me you spoke Japanese, Jen."

"Must have slipped my mind," she tried to play off her mistake as a joke while she inadvertantly flirted with him. "Just as it slipped your mind that I can't use chopsticks?" She waved at him with her casted arm. "I'm a righty."

"Guess I'll have to feed you, then."

"I'm perfectly capable of feeding myself, thank you."

"Not when you're stressed." Their orders were taken and he sat back a little in his stool. "So! How many other languages do you know?"

Her foot kicked out every so often into the air as she changed her focus from the cook to Sean. "I studied them in college. I know five proficiently." That didn't include two others that weren't of this world.

"Really? Is that what your job entails? Lingual arts?"

"Something like that. Or at least it did before this blasted accident." They chatted about her work, his work, anything but Wren's pressing dispair. She clung to the mundane conversations, probably releasing more information than she normally would have. Sean was so easy to talk to and it reminded her of the days when she and *her* Sean spoke into the early hours of the morning about hopes and dreams and philosphy. By the time dinner was served, Sean was holding her hand and running his thumb over her skin, stroking softly.

Wren finally took note of it as Sean fed her another bite of gindara saiko-yaki with udon. She didn't move her hand away but looked at their twisted fingers as she chewed. "Sean--"

"Keep them there." His voice was low and imploring and his fingers tightened around hers. With that tightening she felt her chest tighten as well. "You need this, Jenny."

"I need--"

"Yes, I know. But you need to help heal yourself, too. You're not doing her any favors by running yourself past exhaustion." Sean threw her a lopsided smile that caught her breath in throat. "Let me help."

"I can't stay." She knew why he wanted to help and it tore her up. How dare she complicate this man's life with her problems!

"I know." It didn't stop him from stroking her hand, though. From looking into her eyes with that longing Wren swore she'd never see again. Not like this. Not from *him*. "But you need something here, too. Friends. Support."

He was honest and sincere in his words. It made Wren's chest clench again at the thought of leaving him here. In the end, it was better that he didn't know the story, her entire story and all the crazy, warm, loving insanity that went with it. She looked up, caught the expression in Sean's eyes and she was about to say something when a sharp sound exploded outside.

She heard the scream and in an instant she was dragged back to that night a month ago. Her baby was screaming and she needed to *move.* Wren toppled her seat when she scrambled to her feet and darted out the door, expecting to see flame and firetrucks. Part of her stared dazedly at the mundane scene; a car had back fired and some teenaged girls screamed fakely over it. Running her fingers through her hair, she desperately searched for the men who took her child.

Wren shrieked when she felt hands on her shoulders and she dropped down and swerved, ready to punch and kick back in defense. "Jen! Stop, it's me!"

Sean.

Her fist relaxed as she struggled to keep her composure. It was his warm embrace and quiet shushing noises that made her relent, leaning heavily into his chest and for once letting him support her. An anguished sob choked out of her when Sean started to stroke her hair, moving her to the side so that they wouldn't block the entranceway.

"I can't keep doing this. I need to find her. She's my *life*."

"I know, Beautiful. I know."

"And the damned police! Why aren't they doing more?"

"They're all taxed like everyone else is. It hasn't been easy to rebuild and people turn up missing all the time."

"Rebuild?" Tear stained, her face turned up from his shoulder to blink at him. "You mean from the blast?"

"No. From the invasion a couple years back."

"Invasion?" What invasion? Her brow furrowed and she was about to ask for more information when the older man and younger woman stopped by them. Wren hadn't kept her actions discreet.

"Are you okay?" The woman asked, dark eyes flashing between the pair. They were witness to the entire display and were concerned enough to investigate. Wren was touched by it, to be honest.

"She was involved in the bombing last month. It's a little bit of PTSD and she lost her daughter."

Wren felt the sympathy pains more than she saw them and she straightened, shaking her head as she scrubbed her eyes. "I didn't lose her. She was taken from me and this place is useless. I'd have an easier time getting free root canals." Pulling herself together and belatedy remembering her manners, she took a deep breath and bowed her head to the couple. "I'm sorry for interrupting your meal."

The man stepped forward, frowning sadly as he watched the young woman. She was younger than his own daughter but just as fiery and strong willed in spirit. "Perhaps we can help. Do you have a picture of her you can spare?"

Wren nodded, feeling mute as she pulled out her phone to show them a picture. "My service has been shut off because of this mess. You'll have to snap it to put it on your phone." Truth was that her phone wasn't linked to any service in this dimension. The other woman flipped out her phone to do so as her father gathered more information. "I have no idea who the 'he' is, only that he hired these thugs to take her. No one's contacted me about a ransom or anything." She choked briefly at the pain and frustration of it all. It was by instinct alone that she knew her daughter was alive. "Her name's Alanna."

"That is a beautiful name," the gentleman responded. "I am Yoshi and this is my daughter Miwa."

"I'm Jenny." Wren caught the flicker in Miwa's eyes and she forced herself to ignore it.

Sean held out his hand. "Sean. I've been trying to help Jen out as much as I can with all of this. Thank you for your help, too."

Further pleasantries were exchanged as well as numbers to continue communications. The chance meeting of those two bolstered Wren's spirits and she walked home with Sean's fingers laced with hers.


********

Things were quiet now. They had been for a long time, ever since the man knocked over the one crying boy. The boy didn't get up and by the next day someone else came and picked him up. There was a dark wet spot on the rug there and no one went near it.

There was very little play time and they all were in one room together. There had been seven of them as Alanna could count to ten, but now there were six. Three boys and three girls. Those who knew how to use the big potty were using diapers again, but she wasn't. She wanted to use the potty. The others were scared. Eating time wasn't good. The food sometimes smelled funny and there were bugs. Alanna didn't mind the bugs. It wasn't different where her Uncle Hawke lived and they ate bugs all the time. It was the spoiled food she avoided while others avoided the bugs and often had tummy aches.

She had no idea how long she'd been with these men or even why they took her away from Mama. She remembered that Mama was hurt and there was no healer around to help her. Alanna sniffled at the memory, trying her best not to cry. Mama always told her to be strong and brave and it was okay to be scared sometimes but always, *always* know that someone would help her. These days it was the soft voice in her head, Spirit Daddy. She never saw him like she did Uncle Kames or Nana, but she heard him every day and felt his love. He was the one who kept her calm and quiet when the bad men were angry. He was the one who told her that Mama was okay and Alanna would soon have a daddy soon. She didn't understand how or why, she just listened and believed.

Sometimes hope and faith were the easiest things in children.

There were some times when another man came to see all of them. He had hair and eyes like Uncle Hawke but they were not warm, loving eyes. Whenever he came to look at the children, it would make Alanna very afraid to the point where not even Spirit Daddy could calm her. Sometimes it felt like being frightened when Papa was upset. The man always tried talking to her even though she tried to shrink away and hide.

He was trying to speak to her again and she refused to look at him. The doll she often clung to was in her hands and she was playing with hte hair. "Don't worry, little Princess. Soon the plan will be all put together." The smile he had was not pretty. The man finally stood, turning to the others who were in charge of watching them. "I need to get the others. It was only supposed to be two more but now there needs to be three."

"The other two we know. We just haven't found a third--"

"FIND IT!"

The voice was so loud and sudden that the girls screamed and the boys started to cry. With widening eyes Alanna moved to them, trying to quiet them all and stop the crying with hugs. She didn't want to see any more little lights fly away from them even though Spirit Daddy said it was okay that time. But just that one time. It was up to Alanna to be brave and keep the others safe.

The men nodded, bowed, then nodded again before scrambling out, making the children cry again. Alanna clung to a girl, fear hitting her sharply when a feral glare settled on them both. Alanna needed to do something or this light in her friend would fly away. She was certain of it! But she couldn't fight. She dare not scream. The only thing she could think of was sing the lullaby her mother and grandmother often sung:

[In the frozen snow of the vallet lost
Hoofbeats be silent
The waking winds of time forgot
step quiet into the dawn

Ley low to the wind
Ley low in the night
Ley low from the sin
of men in their fright]

The song was in a language the other children didn't know but as soon as that man heard it, he laughed. "Oh, how they seal your fate, little girl!" She had no idea why he was so happy. "Your dear grandmother will be mine again as well as the power of the Gods. All thanks to you, Princess."

Alanna didn't like those words and he hated the threat more. She turned her face away, singing softly to her friend and wishing the bad man away. If only she knew how to dream herself home! But she was too little and she didn't understand even though Poe had faith in her. For now she would sing to her friends and try and help them stay safe.





When the turtles came up for a visit, they had the tots in tow. Just over three years old and ready to get into everything, they had their parents running in circles nearly as badly as the Kraang had at one point. For the time being it was a relief to have the trio turn someone else's place into chaos and mayhem.

"Whew!" Mikey flopped onto the couch as he watched the tots clamor all over their grandfather. "Do you have any idea what those kids can do? So far we've lost four glasses, a bow-Raph's bow, heh- a kata bo *AND* the maneki-neko." It sounded like the turtle was complaining, but there was an expression of pride in his eyes as he did so.

"Why were they all within their reach?" Yoshi questioned with amusement.

"They weren't! Well. Not all of it."

Raph grunted. "They've learned to climb chairs."

"And work together," Donnie added, smiling warmly.

Yoshi laughed softly as he rubbed Ada's plastron, making her giggle. "May your troubles be limited to just a few broken glasses."

Leo hummed, watching Raph make certain Musashi didn't tug on their father's clothing too hard for attention. He wanted to tell them that next spring they were going to try to add to the family but Splint--Yoshi's blessing made him chuckle. "If they're going to be anything like us, that won't last long."

"Hey! We almost forgot to show granpa our new kata!" Mikey tossed Darwin up into the air before catching him and setting him down on his feet. "You little dudes ready to show him? Remember how to line up?" The living room of the apartment wasn't necessarily the best place to show off but Mikey was completely into it, even making himself the fourth to help coach the tots on in case they lost their places.

Miwa watched them with a small smile, her thoughts going back to the incident a few days ago. Phone in hand, she turned to Leo, keeping the conversation to themselves. She told him of the distraught woman and how adamant she felt that her daughter had been abducted. "I've been keeping track of those abductions. That makes seven, now. But I don't remember this one being in the news. So we took her information down."

"Since it's been the latest one, maybe the news is tired of reporting it," Leo supplied. "It's no longer sensational media."

"Maybe not, but it hits close to home." Her eyes trailed over to their father who was enjoying the display of young, wobbly ninjitsu. "It was as if he was in pain all over again." She pulled up the picture and showed it to Leo. "I don't want to see another me happen."

Leo took the device, stared at the image and then hissed. "No way!" There was no way-oh,God, if it was true? His heart seized in his chest and he looked back up to his sister. "How'd you get this?"

The tone of his voice made everyone pay attention. There was disbelief and a heavy dose of fear from their Clan Master and it wouldn't be ignored. He most certainly didn't want to believe it to be true.

"What's going on?" Don asked, moving closer to look at the phone. Upon seeing the picture he gasped, grabbing onto Leo's shell for support.

Stopping the kata, Mikey bounded over to peek as well. Miwa looked confused, her brow furrowing. "You know that girl?"

"AJ!" Mikey gave the face a name, his eyes going up to the raven haired woman. "How'd you get that?"

Yoshi finally decided to interject as he felt his sons' turmoil and growing rage. "It cannot be the little girl you know. They live in another dimension, do they not?"

"Dude, you don't get it." Mike started fishing for his T-cell. "I have the exact same pic, see? Wren sent to all of us because AJ was in her adorably evil mode."

Miwa frowned then. "They've been here since the explosion off Manhattan. Over a month. You're... sure." At first she thought Mikey said 'Jen.'

Leo closed his eyes painfully. "They've been here over a month and we didn't know. We had no *clue.* Wren must be beside herself."

"Wren?" No, it wasn't a mistake. "She said her name was Jenny, but when she said it, she was lying." Miwa should know. She'd been trained to lie and pick up on liars in turn.

Donatello was on his own phone, punching up Wren's number. "It could be an alias for her work. Her family's like us abit and Wren's the most public of them all." He paused, waiting for the number to go through and growling a bit in frustration when it wasn't connecting. "Did she leave you a number?"

"It's attached to the image."

"Let me have the phone, Leo." Don reached for it.

Yoshi sighed heavily. "It is like her brother, then. They came by accident."

"It's doubtful it was an accident. Hawke wasn't an accident, either." Leo supplied that bit of information as Don got up to call Wren.

That made the clan patriarch remember something else. "She was with another man who said he was helping her and I found no deception in his words. It was not her brother, though."

Raph had been quiet all this time, stewing over the fact that Wren had been lost here and even worse? AJ was missing. Raph would have killed half the people in New York by now if any of their kids went missing. "Who's the guy?" His voice was low and grumbly when he finally spoke.

"Someone named Sean." The silence after the admission was deafening. Yoshi looked at all of his sons. "Do you know him?"

Leo shifted as he tried to figure it out. *Sean?* "Well? Not...exactly." How the hell could Sean be here? His eyes shifted in question to Don.

"Could be a dopple ganger," Donnie supplied, pacing back and forth as he waited for the phone to pick up. It didn't so instead of leaving a message, he just redialed. "A Sean from this dimension and not hers."

Miwa shook her head, not understanding. "Why is that important?"

"Sean's the name of her husband, sis." Mikey looked back to Don, his voice uncharacteristically sad. "And her husband's *dead.*"




She had been in the shower when the phone rang. When she got out, it was still ringing, never skipping to voicemail. She rushed over to it, looking at the caller ID and squeaked, fumbling twice to get it to connect. It was Miwa or her father. They had to have found something about her girl. Finally the phone connected and she held it up to her ear, her voice breathy and strained.

"Miwa? Yoshi-san? Did you find something?" The bad that had protected her cast crinkled as she struggled to hold the phone.

The voice on the other end was not Miwa's It was a male-a young male, speaking in fluent Japanese with a lovely tenor tone. Wren didn't shriek, didn't do much of anything but drop the phone.

"Wren?"

It took her a moment to recover and she picked up the phone with shaky hands. Her voice was a whisper that sounded forced. "That's a sloppy Hakata Ben, Don." Then there was a wavering sob. "Is that really you?"

A breath came from the other side and suddenly the voice sounded a little tinny. "You're on speaker phone. We're here."

"Dudette, you okay?"

"--Mike--"

Then there were three happy cries of her name and she lost it, choking back a cry when she heard the kids. She forced a happy tone to her voice. "Hey, kids! Gods, you sound like you're getting so big, now!"

"We're gonna find her, Wren."

"...I know, Raph. I know."

Leo broke through the voices. "Where are you? We can come get you."

"It's still daylight, though."

"We have friends who can come."

She chewed on her lip, throwing off her towel and grabbing shorts and undergarments. "Okay. But have them meet me at the corner of 18th and Allen. Sean's going to be home soon and I don't want to have to answer questions."

"Alright. And bring sturdy shoes."

She wanted to ask why but decided against it. "Uhm, if I have them, I will." Her Keds would have to do for now.

"See you soon, Wren."

"Alright. She made the disconnect and grabbed her notebook and both phones. After sending a quick text to Sean that she was going to meet Miwa and investigate some leads she headed out of the apartment building to wait. Belatedly she realized that she never asked what the friends looked like. Great. Just as she was about to text the question a car pulled up and the window rolled down.

Out popped the head of a black haired guy. He grinned and Wren noted the distinct lack of teeth. She tried to play it down and not stare, hoping he wasn't some sort of pimp. "I can't help you. Sorry."

"You the birdie we're supposed to bring home?" The guy had a carefree grin on his face. 'Cause, you know, I was told a friend lost a bird and she'd be found around here."

Wren smiled tentatively, not quite ready to trust him. "Just one friend?"

"Four, actually."

"Seven," chimed in the woman in the passenger seat. "It's okay. We're the ones," Something about the ginger made her relax and step closer to the car.

"Get in the back and enjoy the ride. We still have a couple hours to kill." The man was already rolling up the window.

Wren didn't think twice now about going into the back seat. She got in, closed the door and fixed a stare at the couple. The other young woman smiled. "I'm April. This is Casey."

"'Yo."

"Hi. I'm Wren."

"Ah! So that's why they said birdie, huh? Cause of your name?"

"More than likely, yes."

April offered a gentle smile. "We're going to get her back. I know saying not to worry isn't going to help but it will happen."

Wren bit her lip and nodded, trying not to lose control of her emotions as she had been doing at the drop of a hat, lately.

"What you do to your arm?" Casey asked, trying to divert Wren's attention. "Put up one hell of a fight?"

"I wish," she half laughed, still trying to keep herself composed. "This was thanks to the blast. I had a concussion."

"You got off lucky. But if I were you, I'd tell 'em 'You should see the other guy!'" He winked at Wren through the rear view mirror as April rolled her eyes.

"Don't listen to the lug. He's a moron on his best days." The words were spoken more out of affection than not. Her blue eyes turned back to study Wren , nodding sympathetically. "It's nice to place a face with a name, though. The guys speak highly of you and your family." Her eyes flitted to the long scar on Wren's arm before moving back to her face. "They said you had to fight a dragon."

"Lich," Wren added softly as she turned her head to the window. "A dragon-lich."

"Lich?"

"It's an undead thing. Like a zombie only I would rather deal with an army of zombies than a lich again." She sounded distant as her eyes looked out the window without really seeing anything. "How much longer will we be driving around?"

"Long enough to make certain there ain't no tails on you and it's dark." Casey watched Wren for a moment in the mirror. "You can get some rest, if ya want. You look like you been through hell."

"...I'm still in hell."

****

The decision was made to meet up with Wren back at the Lair instead of the apartment. If anything, it was to keep the locations secret in case they needed safe houses. Miwa had mentioned Wren was recovering from the recent bombing and Donnie was insistent on examining her which also confirmed the thought to go back home. In a couple hours Wren was walking up to the turnstyles, book carefully tucked under her injured arm. The trip through the sewers had definitely been an eye opener and she was still trying to get used to the smell. Her eyes were everywhere, injured arm clutched to her side. Suddenly a squeal made her jump.

"Auntie Wren!"

It was never easy getting bulldozed by children and mutant turtle children were especially difficult. Wren fell back hard on her bum as she was tackled, her broken wrist held up into the air to avoid getting bumped while her other arm was trying to hold all three of her young nephews and niece to her in a hug. Happy, joyful voices bubbled all at once to her, ranging from wanting to see their cousin to showing Wren their first kata.

"AJ's lost, right now. Your dads are going to help me find her." Wren surprised herself at how steady her voice sounded.

"Bad men took her?" Musashi had been paying attention to what the adults were discussing for a while now. He was quiet and serious as his eyes looked to his aunt and in that moment she saw Leo there.

She nodded, resting a hand on his head. "Yes. But not for much longer." Wren was praying that it wasn't for much longer.

"We'll help, Auntie." That serious and determined face made Wren pause and she smiled when she felt Musashi's hand on her cheek.

The turtles and Yoshi all swelled with pride at how caring the tots were becoming. They all rallied around Wren who was doing her damndest not to cry. Ada was the first to give her a hug and then do something very Mikey. "Wanna see our kata now?"

"Tomorrow. Maybe if sensei believes you've learned it really, really well you can teach me." She knew well enough that it was late for the tots and adult discussions needed to happen. A thought of AJ and how she was sleeping hit her suddenly and she looked away, blinking rapidly.

The suggestion in turn made the kids clamber all around Mikey, already bouncing and begging to play sensei. "Sure, little dudes! After bed, though. It's late and no sensei can teach their student well if they're tired." Michelangelo and Raphael went to tuck the children in after rounds of good night kisses. Leonardo silently rose to prepare tea while Donnie knelt down to help Wren up, murmuring an apology.

Her brave face was gone as soon as the children were and she looked up into those rust brown eyes. The tallest of the turtles reached out to hug her, sighing quietly as she clung to him. "Sorry we didn't find out sooner."

"It's okay. I could have been in a hundred different places anyway."

April saw the pair, heard the murmurs shared between them but not the words. What she felt though...her eyes widened a bit at the feelings she was picking up from Wren as Donnie asked questions about her injuries and how they were healing.

The whole group of adults eventually made their way to the living room of the lair, taking in the scent of the fragarent tea Leo was preparing. The smell made Wren smile as she listened to April and Miwa ask about it. It was Sha'hira's blend that Hawke had given Leo one Christmas. Both Miwa and April sat on either side of her, exchanging glances before they spoke again.

"You've learned ninjitsu?"

Wren looked up from the pages of her notebook, blinking owlishly before realizing that yes, the question was for her. "Me? No. Just the karate that's taught at the dojo I attend on and off. Nothing special."

Miwa caught snippets of what Wren had written down, noting some of the romanji but admitting other symbols looked like scrawls of nothing to her. "Still, you've been learning. What belt are you now?"

"Blue or green, I think."

"Blue *or* green?"

"When I go there, it's not for the belt. It's for the experience."

Yoshi stepped in, resting a hand on April's shoulder. "Forgive them but they are merely curious about their brothers' friend. And being kunoichi they are also quite protective of them."

Wren looked up at both the women, offering a small smirk. "It's all right. I'd probably be a little similar if my brother brought home a strange woman who'd known him for years and never said much." She saw a subtle shift in April's expression but Miwa revealed nothing but a small smile. Right then and there Wren knew who was more experienced in hiding things. She opened back to the first page and gratefully accepted the tea that Leo offered. It wasn't a blend he made often but for Wren's sake and in need of comfort, he did this time.

As she sipped the cup Don gently took the notebook from her hands. The others started to gather around and wait. April and Miwa wanted to ask more questions but Leo had silently shaken his head no. After being with the Faunlyn and Hawke's family he knew that for Wren she needed to speak on her own time and not be prodded. Much like Raph if he wanted to be honest.

Donnie finished flipping through the notebook while they waited, frowning deeply at the parts he could read. Passing it onto Leo, he turned the pages as well, reading a bit from the Faunlyn sections. He didn't like what he saw..

Wren started softly when Mikey and Raph settled in. She tried to relate all of the details no matter how minute or insignificant they may seem. She fell into the SongSpinner mode, her eyes closed and body leaning into the direction of the story with a hand gesture here and there. By the end of it, even April and Miwa had to shake off the spell that had been woven. How or why they felt that way was unknown but when Wren relayed the story, it was as if they were truly there in the smoke and sirens.

Yoshi had felt it as well but he was less inclined to be so obvious about it. Mikey carried a serious yet glazed over look as he sighed, still under the belief that this sort of story telling was a 'mom-thing.' Wren wasn't about to correct him on it. "That's all I can remember."

"Purple Dragons!" Raph spat out the name as he slammed a fist into his open palm. "I'm gonna *pound* every last one of them inta the ground!"

"But why?" Leo stared right at Wren. "Why would they seek you out and take AJ? You're not from this dimension and they don't *know* you."

"Is there a gang like this back home?" Donnie was scribbling notes of his own, not looking up as he addressed her.

"The only thing I know that may be remotely close is the Yakuza, and even then that's just a name to me. Our home is out in the midwest and no where near New York." Now that she could actively work on getting her daughter back, Wren no longer felt lost. She was energenic and alert with out any emotional outbursts ready to bubble up.

"Enemies from Hawke's world?"

April quirked a brow then. "Just how many dimensions does your family span, exactly?"

"Four," Wren answered. "Including here. If there are any against my family I don't know. Mostly humans are against Faunlyn by nature but they would try and seek out a mountain before trying to track any of us anywhere."

"So we need to figure out who and why," Leo supplied. "AJ wasn't the only one taken. There were several others. It may be all a coincidence, but if it's not..."

Wren knew what he was alluding to. "Of course. They need to be rescued." It wasn't just her daughter lost, but others as well.

A rough game plan was outlined and by the time they were done, it was in the wee hours of the morning. Donnie decided that to keep in contact with Wren her original phone would be on their network. It was a simple enough conversion and she waited in his lab, staring blankly at all of the things that Don had.

"You can stay here the night if you want, Wren. You look like you haven't gotten any real sleep." He didn't even look up from his work to see if she heard.

"Thanks, Don." She looked back with a melancholy smile. "But I should get back to Sean. He'll be worried sick."

At the mention of the man's name, he set her phone down and looked at her. "He's not *your* Sean, though." It was a gentle reminder even though he cringed mentally when she flinched.

"I know." Her voice was tight when she answered. "I know and I'm horrible for doing this. He's too sweet and kind a-and--" Her eyes squeezed shut as she fought to breathe. The sound of wheels moving came to a stop and she felt Don's presence in front of her more than she saw it. "He's too much like my husband and he doesn't even know my real name."

He looked at his friend for a long time, finally resting a hand on her shoulder and giving a light squeeze. "It's not fair to him, either. When you go back home..."

That she knew as well and she sat stiffly in her chair, shaking as she fought to keep control. A heavy sigh came from the turtle and she felt her body shift and lean against cool scutes. Steel strong muscles wound around her body and she gave a small laugh-sob as she clung to his plastron. "He keeps asking about my scars. It's like history's repeating itself."

Donnie was quiet as she spoke of the similarities. Part of him still demanded to know why fate or whatever was being so cruel to her. She was the one to tell him to never give up looking for love, to not settle for less than what he wanted. In the end, he didn't turn to her but she didn't seem put out by it, either. And in the end, her own love and happiness had been shattered. Having AJ taken away only added salt to the lingering wound.

That's how April found them a few minutes later. Wren was murmuring to Donnie, telling him things that seemed too private to pry into mentally. There was even a moment where the turtle laughed-some silly thing Sean had done or some prank Wren had played on him. April cleared her throat, bringing the pair back to the present. "We're heading back."

Wren nodded, looking up at the turtle. "Thanks, Don."

"No thanks is needed. Just get some sleep, okay? Or I'll keep you down here and sedate you."

'[Yes, healer,]" She slipped into the language easily as she started to stand and take her phone from the table. "Thank you."

"I mean it." He stressed a little more as she kissed his cheek. "Good night."


******

"Where the *hell* have you been?"

No, hello, or how did the meeting go? A worried and pissed-off demand and evidence of a ruined romantic dinner greeted Wren along with an equally furious Sean.

"Didn't you get my text?"

"I did. And it's been *six hours*."

She felt guilty for that. It wasn't her intention to be out quite that long.

"And you've been in a junk yard?" His nose wrinkled.

"It was important. Miwa and Yoshi-san have family that could help-"

"In a junk yard."

Wren looked up at his blue eyes, her own pleading with him. "Sean."

"You can't be out there that late! You've been doing it since you've been discharged and it's not good. It's not *safe*." Sean started to pace, ranting at Wren as he ran his fingers through is hair. "This is New York City for crying out loud! Not a country ho-down."

Something happened. Wren watched him for another minute before she moved to sit down. "What is it?"

"The police called. They couldn't reach you so they reached me."

Ice flooded her veins as she felt the color drain from her face. "They called?"

"They found a body in the Hudson. A child."

She squeaked, trying to steady her hands by clasping them together as best as she could. Was that AJ? Had the turtles found her too late to help? Wren stood up in a flash, her left hand already reaching for Sean's. "I need to go."

"It was male."

The clarification made her pause, but not enough to make her stop wanting to go. "Not AJ."

"No. But it could have been. She wasn't the only one taken, they admitted. During the blast, two others had been. One, the parents were killed, the second one has a father still in the hospital."

"They're finally telling us this? Why now? Why so late?"

"Because they don't think it's isolated. Not anymore."

"Why?"

"There was a message on the boy. Carved into him."

"What does it say?"

Sean shook his head, avoiding her piercing gaze. "They don't know. They don't even know what language was used but I mentioned you were a linguist so they thought maybe you could help."

"Then I still need to go." Her hand tightened on Sean's giving it a tug.

"It can wait in the morning. You don't need to see that."

"You told me now. So we're going now. It's one step closer to finding her and it doesn't matter what I see or don't see. She's been through enough already."

He looked back to her, holding her hand tightly. "It's someone's child. Are you prepared for that?"

"No. But I wasn't prepared for any of this so I'll make due."





They couldn't keep going on like this. The running, the thinly contained panic...it was all borderline overwhelming and he could see it take its toll on the others. They had gone out to do a simple job and now, not only was it incomplete, the group was in shambles.

They'd been running for hours now, chasing shadows and fleeing them at the same time. While no one saw exactly what was chasing them, they certainly felt the hunters track them no matter where they went. Every so often one or another would feel a whisper of something that didn't necessarily hurt but was enough to sent their fight/flight systems into overdrive. It wasn't until they returned to the safety of their base that they found that the whispers *had* done damage. Across each Purple Dragon's face were scalpel thin cuts that spanned across cheeks, noses and foreheads. A few marks were dangerously close to the neck, scaring a few to quitting the gang right then and there. No one had any clue as to who or *what* was stalking them but they weren't keen on tempting fate.


****

Every night the Turtles returned home, their usual boisterous conversations were stilted and subdued. Even Mikey was quitter than usual. Each time they returned home to relieve their baby sitters they would settle at the kitchen table, review their plans for the next time and then retire. There was always time to check in on the kids and linger in the doorway as their demons made a final attemp to prevail in the young adults' heads. Each time the demon Fear was defeated and they finally retired for a few hours before their children would wake them.

Raphael was still jacked up from the night's run and he stalked Leo as the other turtle stripped off his gear and laid each piece carefully in its designated area. It wasn't as if Leo hadn't noticed this-he was more than aware of Raph's eyes hunting him. He simply chose to ignore the emotion radiating off of Raph. A hand slipped over his shoulder and while Leo would have reacted defensively anywhere else, he relaxed into the tough, sighing softly as he felt lips on the back of his neck.

Then there was the harsh scrape of teeth.

Leo thought he should have swallowed the churr or at least subdued it. It came full throttle with a moan vibrating underneath it. There was an answering rumble from Raph as well as the erotic scrape of plastron to shell.

That was the end of gentleness between them.

In the next moment Raph was pushing Leo down, his teeth on his mate's neck and his hands on Leo's thighs, spreading and lifting his ass higher. Leo in turn gasped, lifting his tail high as he scrambled--not to get away but to search for the bottle of lubricant they kept between the mattresses of their bed.

"R-Raph!" Raph had other thoughts as he caught the wiggling tail in his mouth. Leo could feel the suction on his tail in strong pulls, making his hands spasm for a moment. In response there was a deep churr from him as he felt that familiar tingle in his tail and the appendage stilled and thickened with arousal. As Raph sucked and dragged his teeth against the almost scaly organ, Leo wheezed softly, giving into a curse as he nearly threw the lube at him.

It wasn't until Leo felt the rough push of Raph's cock into his tight opening that he took stake of the situation. The pent up frustration was definitely there, but so was the worry and fear of their current mission. It probably wasn't something that the others would notice right away but Raph had practically screamed it at Leo without saying a word.

"Ung, Raph. Fuck me harder." Usually Leo resisted and made him work for it. Tonight he willingly gave in. "*Raph.* Harder."

Normally Raphael was all words but when he heard Leo, his breathing nearly stopped. 'What's that, Fearless? You *want* me to abuse your tight hole?" He even leaned in closer-as close as their shells would allow.

Leo's answer was an audible gasp when he felt plastron scrape over shell. "Y-yes! Please..." Raph murmuring 'sweet nothings' always made him hot.

Before he added more 'sweet nothings,' Raphael growled low, sweeping his knee out to knock against the inside of Leo's. The action made Leo splay his legs even more and Raph gripped the turtle's hips so he could pull him into the strong, sudden thrusts. "Fuck, Leo. You still got yer dick inside?" The question seemed unnecessary given the extra effort Raph had to make to dive his cock into his mate and that Leo was now whimpering and moaning helplessly. "That gets me so horny, bro. Yer hot, thick cock pressin up against mine while I'm fuckin' ya."

A fresh wave of lust hit Leo deep in his belly, very nearly succeeding in drawing his cock out. Instead Leo whined, dropping his head and gripping the sheets even tighter.

Raph's breath was close again as the angle shifted, making Leo gasp as he hit the mark. "You wanna let it out so bad, doncha? Just let it out and rub against these nice, soft sheets an' get off, huh? But you don't wanna 'cause my dick's doin' all the work for ya." Raph sounded triumphant as he kept pounding into Leo-growling here and there at the effort and pleasure it gave him.

"Yeah...Poundin' yer ass and strokin' yer cock. Best of both worlds, Fearless. Keep yer dick right there so I can fuck the cum outta ya." Raph kept rambling, his eloquence fading quickly as he moved even faster and harder. "I can feel ya twitch. *God*, Leo, that feels *so fuckin' good.* Your dick twitchin', yer hole sucking my cock in deeper. Yer fuckin' tight hole's *so good*. Ya want my hot cum in ya, Leo?"

The reply was muffled. Leo had been concentrating on Raph's words and the tightness in his groin. "Y-yessss."

"What was that?" The punishment was Raph stopping, almost all the way out and his own cock was twitching in frustration of the delay. "Didn't quite hear you."

The hollow, empty feeling nearly threw Leo into a panic as he uttered a strangled cry before remembering his words. "Fuck me! Come in me, Raph! --I-I can't wait!" Raph rammed forward and Leo sobbed a relief, the last of his control fading quickly.

The dilated, swollen slit was already prepared to let Leo's cock unfurl but a hand suddenly clamped tight there, forcing a startled cry from Leo as one finger pressed against the head of his cock, rubbing so slightly against the pooling pre-cum. "Nuh uh. Little Leo's gonna have ta stay inside until I'm done."

The Leader of their little clan begged, pleaded and railed against his mate all the while pushing back against Raph's plastron swearing he was going to chip shell. His first orgasm hit him so fast that he forgot to cry out. Raph was silent then, working double time against the ripple of Leo's inner muscles. His mate's cock slid out with a lewd splash of fluid and Raph grabbed it, stroking it mercilessly as Leo howled. A fresh wave hit him full force and made him climax *again* while Raph finally emptied into him.

Leo had no idea when his brain checked back in. He was dimly realizing that Raph was still on top--or at least on his side with Leo still in front, held securely by two strong arms. He only vaguely registered the churr that vibrated behind him and then the strong pulse of Raph emptying into him again. It all felt so soothing to be connected together, feeling Raph's pulse become his own. Leo could almost have fallen asleep right there, still cradling Raph inside him.

"Couldn't let it be that I had two?" His voice was still sex drunk with quiet notes of amusement.

"I'll never let you one-up me," Raph grumbled good naturedly, letting the bliss of afterglow soothe his frayed nerves.

Leo's hands curled around Raph's arms as he settled against his mate. "Glad I could help."

That bliss didn't last long. Raph's mind slowly started working again and he hid his beak against the back of his mate's neck. "What if we don't find her in time? What if she becomes another message?"

Leo didn't think that was likely. He knew that message was for Wren. But it was still a what if. Their lives always centered on what ifs and this one hit so close to home that Leo felt it necessary to pull away and turn to face the clan's protector. His hand felt a little shaky when he cupped Raph's cheek but it wasn't because of worry. "We will do our best as we always do. We will focus on nothing else but the success of the mission. And we will bring revenge."

"Leo--"

The conversation stopped when they both heard the door creak open. "Otu--?" The sleepy voice of their son whispered in, followed by the pad of little feet approaching their bed.

Leo froze, grateful that his shell was facing Musashi. "Yeah, Squirt?" Raph lifted his head, feigning just waking up. "Otusan's sleeping." Leo mouthed a 'thank you' against Raph's arm.

"Need pee-pee," The tot's words were a little garbled as he dug his fist against a sleepy eye.

"I'll get ya, kiddo. Hold on a sec." Raph made a show of trying to get up from Leo's sleeping form in order to tuck himself back in.

"No-ow." It seemed as if Musashi was barely holding onto control and started shifting from foot to foot.

That kicked the hot head into gear as Leo tried not to let the silent chuckle shake his shoulders. Raph was in a rush now, hoping they'd make it to the potty in time before there was an accident to clean up. Listening to Raph's fever pitched whispers fade, Leo finally let out a laugh, sitting up and immediately regretting it. At least there wouldn't be a second accident. He started the task of stripping the bed as he relished the soreness of his backside when he moved.

Raph returned with fresh sheets and a basin of warm water and a soft cloth. He handed Leo the basin while he refitted the bed with the new sheets.

"Mission accomplished?"

"Complete success."

Leo hummed thoughtfully. "I thought we woke him up."

"Nah. Donnie sound proofed these walls, remember?"

"After keeping him and Mikey up." Leo smiled at the memory. "Glad he waited until we were done."

"Who says we're done? Come to bed, Leo."

"Yes, Raphie."




She'd been in a daze ever since the night she had gone to the police station. Sean stood by her sight through the entire event, her arms crossed over her chest as she half listened to the investigator. They walked towards the morgue with Sean rubbing her shoulders to offer some comfort and warmth as they were lead up to the one line of drawers that held the 'evidence.' A small, broken body that couldn't be claimed yet because of the ongoing investigation. After a final question of whether or not she was prepared, the drawer slid open and the ME lifted the sheet, doing his best not to expose the head or genitals of the child. The message was on the child's belly and Wren forced herself to remain blank and emotionless. "It's not something I readily know." Her eyes lifted towards the other man. "May I have a picture of this so I can study it further?"

"Of course. Thank you for your help, Ms Cougar."

Wren's smile was fake, but at least she wasn't staring at a dead body any more. "Of course. And thank you for yours."

Back at the apartment, she fumed. The fury was held at bay and was nothing explosive, but silent and cold. "You know what it meant," Sean observed, watching Wren pace back and forth.

She looked up from the print out, her silver eyes glittering like ice chips. "I know some of it. Not all."

"What language is it?"

"It's not from around here."

"Asian? Romanian?"

"It's not from Earth." Wren didn't realize she even mentioned the thought aloud until Sean took in a sharp breath.

"Not from Earth? Jenny, what are you talking about? That's an alien message?" Oddly enough, Sean didn't seem as shocked or disbelieving as what Wren had expected. She looked up at her...friend. Sean was a friend, after all. Nothing more. She needed to keep reminding herself of that. He held up his hands when he saw Wren's expression. "Look. We've been invaded before. We were all being controlled by these pink brain things until the government stopped it. It's been a struggle to rebuild what with all the gangs trying to take a piece of the city, but we're trying. *I'm* trying. If you're a part of the CIA or Roswwell or NSA, that's fine! I don't care. I know you're here to get your daughter back so right now, you're a mother, not an agent. Just..." He sighed heavily, looking plaintively at her. "Just let me help."

Maybe it was the desperation in his voice or the pleading in his eyes that made Wren's heart hurt. Maybe it was both. She stared at him hard, going over what he said and piecing it with what the turtles had told about the Kraang. If she wanted to, she could break her cover and tell him the truth or just conjure another plausible story. Once something sounded decent and almost mundane in her head, she held onto it. Wren sighed, shaking her head slightly and looked back to Sean.

"Do you think you can handle the truth?"

"As long as it's the truth." He took a step forward, resting his hand on her arm. That moment nearly broke her and she took a breath, wishing desperately that she could tell him. Tell him and then fall into his arms for the comfort she craved. Somewhere in another world, *her* world, he was hers, and AJ was *his*.

"It's not another invasion," she started, looking back to the paper. "At least not by the pink aliens. The center symbol is a family crest. The other...markings around it are related, but I don't have my research notes for it."

"So it's *another* alien species." Sean sighed with her, staring at the page her fingers were on. "Just what this city needs. Is there anything I can do to help?"

At first she was going to refuse. To draw him further into the lie meant a potentially bigger mess than now. Wren didn't want to deal with big messes. "Yes. I know that it's going to sound really weird, but there's a list of music I want to see you can get me. Both with vocals and without."

"You're going to sooth them with song?" Sean grinned as he cracked the joke, eyes glittering as brightly as his smile. "Close Encounters style, huh? Original."

Forgetting herself for a moment, she grinned, reaching up to cup his cheek and daring to lean in closer. How she missed that smile, the slight laugh, the blue eyes. She wanted to kiss him but remembered at the last moment where she was and moved her head at the last moment, missing his mouth. "I'm going to send them a message." It was better that she busy her hands with a pen and paper than pay attention to the physical pain of pulling away. She could still feel his eyes boring into the back of her neck as she distanced herself once more. "While I know some of these symbols, I still don't know how my daughter's connected or why she should be."

When Sean spoke, his voice was low and deep, settling sparks off inside Wren. "It couldn't be because you're a government agent or anything, right?"

This time she didn't look at him. She knew she couldn't or else she would lose what little control she had left. "Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on how the missing children are connected." Feeling a little more collected, she handed him the slip of paper. "Find them for me?"

"Sure thing, Beautiful." As Sean took the paper he held onto her hand, keeping her close for a few more moments. "Anything else?"

"Find some Karyoke bars in Chinatown." This time she did kiss his cheek, feeling an electric jolt as her lips connected with warm, slightly rough skin.

She shouldn't be doing this. Her *daughter* was missing! This was no time to make googly eyes at the man who looked like her dead husband. Wren twisted away before Sean could 'catch' her and she offered an apologetic smile. "I have to go let my friends know what I found out."

Sean's eyes followed her with a hungry gaze that made her stomach clench. He wanted her, she could taste it from here. Yet he didn't move because he was also more than aware of her missing girl. "Friends or co-workers?"

"Yes," she answered with an impish smirk. "I promise to be careful."

"Come back home safe."

"I will."


****

Wren didn't mind that she wasn't allowed a direct route to the lair. With what she had planned, Wren didn't want to be a weak link in the turtle's safety. She volunteered to watch the tots with April and Casey because she needed a break from the stress. Upon entering the lair, little squeals were made in her direction and for a short while, she could push her worries aside. Leo came up to her as she managed not to get knocked over while trying to one arm hug three little turtles. As he opened his mouth to speak she handed him the folder. "I need fifteen minutes, Leo." Her eyes held the silent plea when he gave her a confused expression. He decided to peek at the contents of the folder as she cringed.

For a few second it was as if time stopped. Then when Leo looked up, the film was over his eyes, making him look more frightening with the lack of pupils and color while he seethed. "Did you have to--"

"Leonardo. *Please.*" Wren meant it when she said she needed some time. Leo's face went stony cold and emotionless as he snapped the folder shut, turning on his heel to stalk away.

All of the children felt the strong emotion and Musashi watched his father leave. He turned to Wren with a very worried look on his face. "Is Otusan angry with you?"

"Oh, no honey. Your father's not angry with me." Wren touched Sashi's cheek with a gentle hand. "We have to talk about some grown up things in a bit and it's very upsetting."

"About AJ?"

"Yes."

Darwin spoke up with his whisper of a voice, the volume quiet but enough to be noticed. "Is she okay?"

"For now, sweeting." It hurt to talk about the situation, but she was fairly certain that the adults in their lives were doing their best to keep them out of it. This was the only discussions they were having about their lost cousin and Wren felt the need to settle their worries as best as she could.

"How?"

"Because I feel it in my heart."

Wren could tell that Darwin was having issues relating to what she said. He gave her that 'I don't really believe you,' look that Donnie would throw at her on occasion, usually when the subject of magic and souls came about. "Sometimes faith has to be stronger than science. It keeps people strong."

"But what if it's not true?"

"Faith is always true. It's what you make of it." With that, Wren smirked, bopping Ada on the nose with a finger to make her giggle. "After all, your dads got you three, right? Did you learn any new kata?"

"No." They sounded so fornlorn about it that they never noticed the clever subject change.

"How about you help me with my form?" That got all three tots to move to the dojo and Wren followed after, working to tie her hair into an impromtu knot before she slipped her shoes off her feet. "Did my little senseis forget to bow in or did something change I not know about?"

Leo watched, still glowering from his vantage point across the room. The kids had fully taken advantage of Wren being a willing ginnea pig to teach her at the very least some karate. In his mind the images of the child on the cold table was burned permanently in his memory. While he knew that it wasn't his niece that was dead, it easily could have been. The Master of the Hamato Clan was feeling time tick past them more distinctly than ever before.

Donnie saw the file next and forced himself not to throw up at the images. He looked paler than usual as he rested a hand on his brother's shoulder. "She needs this, Leo. As much as any of us want to go now, you know as well as I do that she needs to take a step back." Regroup. Re-center. If they visited the homestead more often they would have noticed that the unicorns reacted the same way as Wren was doing now; when overly stressed they would focus on the children to ground themselves and focus more on the unsettling tasks at hand.

As much as he wanted to let them play half the night, there was a job to do and time was running out. He pushed himself off the wall with a sigh and walked over to the doorway of the dojo. Leo couldn't help but smile just a little as he saw Wren trapped in a freeze, trying to breathe and hold her position while the youngsters directed and argued over how her hands should be placed or feet positioned. Wren't current position looked...uncomfortable. Even so, she kept her balance and waited patiently, her eyes looking amused as she waited for the tots to come to an agreement.

Wren was no ninja, but she was decent at what she did know.

Leo muttered something in Japanese, making the three children snap to attention. The conversation was short, sweet and professional since they were all in the dojo. The children were dismissed from torturing their aunt and filed out after kisses while Wren still waited, her eyes now on Leo. Leo made a single pass around her and then with a gentle touch corrected her form. Wren allowed the ninja to lift her arms into position and nudge her feet with his own, treating her almost like a poseable figure. When it was all said and done she relaxed into the stance, feeling her tendons and muscles fall into place. "Feels better now, right?"

"Yes." Wren not only looked more relaxed but she sounded relaxed. It was as if the final adjustments worked on her center of calm as well as her physical form. She held the position for a moment longer before bowing to Leo, thanking him as was proper since it was his dojo. "Can we sit by the tree for this?" While she felt better, Wren still wanted the support of the large oak to keep her steady.

The file was left unopened in the center of the little circle. Wren leaned up against the tree as the turtles and two humans waited. Wren was different since the first time the turtles saw her in New York. There were less emotional outbursts from her. She seemed like she was speaking from behind a wall, her emotions blocked and shielded. There was a cold determination about her. She was a warrior fighting and she no longer was someone who needed to be rescued. The turtles exchanged brief glances with each other about this revelation before Wren started to speak.

"The little boy was identified as one of the abductees," Wren began in a steady, monotone voice. "I was told he didn't suffer and the marks were made after his death. The pictures within... they aren't pleasant."

She leaned forward to flip over the cover and there was a collection of gasps and soft exclamations of what was revealed. It was also proven that Wren spent a significant amount of time pouring over the details with the amount of scrawl and diagrams she wrote in every available blank space around the markings. "It's with great certainty that the central symbol is my mother's crest. It was ripped open like that on purpose." Her finger ghosted over the jagged mark. "The other symbols...I know it's writing, but it's not a language I know. A few of them look very familiar. They're either Arrillian magic sigils or actual Atlean writing."

Two heads popped up. Don's and Leo's. While Don was ready to ask his first question, he waited for Leo to take the first turn. "So it is an enemy of your family that's after you."

"After mom. Through AJ." She didn't waver in the admission. "It still doesn't tell me who, though. But I can tell you that those sigils hold a great power. And that power's in the wrong hands."

"Where did you see those other symbols, Wren?" Don's voice was full of curiosity but the tone was soft and gently seeking.

"They're on my mom."

Now all heads shot up. April's eyes were the widest as she caught the feelings of disgust and illness from Wren. "W-what do they mean?"

Wren shook her head, closing the file before drawing her knees up to hug herself. "She was part of a ritual about nine months before Hawke was born. Those sigils are to bring great power into being-not unlike what necromancy does to bring back a dead soul into another form. She doesn't bring it up and those symbols are long ruined by marks and other scars."

The implications were subtle. And as those implications sank into each individual the signs of additional rage kicked in. Raph's knuckles cracked a low growl vibrated from him and April, still in shock, had to confirm it by repeating what Wren said. "So...this person who put those signs on your mother...he-uh- He's Hawke's father?"

"Genetic donor. Kohl is our father."

"Right. So...why a child?"

"The level of magic to bring a magical being into the world is..." Wren tilted her head as she gestured in the air. It was frightening to watch her be so detached from the conversation that the turtles frowned deeply in response. "Big. Big enough for Faunlyn to pay attention and they hate meddling around in human affairs." She turned to Leo, her eyes somber. "Hawke's power is largely untapped, from what I think and know. Essentially, he was meant to be the destroyer of worlds if that one man could have raised him."

"Is that why he's with the Faunlyn?" Leonaardo asked. He'd always wondered why Hawke was with them and Wren was with their parents. "To help control it?"

Wren nodded slowly. "An ancient power needs to be managed by an ancient people. If he were less than what he is now, there's no way he'd be in training to learn the most ancient and dangerous of their magics. Certainly Mom and Dad didn't want it like this, but here we are." It was a frustrating thing to live with while growing up. And it took Wren nearly two decades to really understand why. Once she understood, she was grateful that she still had a brother to love, even if he was a world away.

"So is this guy after Hawke or your mom?" To say the least it was confusing and Raph's one eye ridge was up as he tried to comprehend it.

Wren returned the expression with an equally exhausted one. "I can only think that it's an 'eye for an eye' sort of thing. If Hawke had a son or daughter, they'd be the primary target."

Mikey looked positively miserable at this knowledge. Wren didn't seem herself and it was to be expected. He certainly didn't like the change in her mood and wanted her back to being who she was before. "Wait. So it's Hawke's Fa-uh-donor, Vader like whoever after you?"

She shrugged a bit. "Mom always said with certainty that he would never be an issue ever again." Her suspicion was that her mother had killed him but it was never confirmed.

"So maybe it's another relative trying to carry on the original plan," Leo mused. "Then the question is why here?"

"It's an Earth that my mother's not familiar with." She explained further when the others blinked at her. "The spirits here wouldn't be able to tell her something was wrong. Being here gives them the advantage of some extra time before reinforcements can arrive."

"Don't you have the same skills as your mom?"

Wren shook her head. "Probably, but I chose not to develop them. Speaking to the dead can...it can break you. I love my mom to pieces but what her power's done to her?" There was a sad smile about her. "I don't want to be like that."

Leo nodded, thinking over his current plan of action. "So this being is from Hawke's world. And it's a good bet he's got an aresenal of magic to use-especially since you're here. I don't think the children are a cover to get to AJ since this has been happening for months." His eyes flickered over to Wren's quiet, contemplative expression. "You're *not* going to contact the Purple Dragon's Wren."

She tried for that air of 'I don't know what you're talking about.' "Wouldn't dream of it, Leo."

"I mean it. You've never seen combat like this. While most of the Purple Dragons aren't seriously trained, some are. Hawke would never forgive me if you got hurt." Or worse, he thought.

"I'm just going to pass on a message." Her hand dropped down to touch a corner of the red file folder. "It doesn't matter who they're messing with. No Starfyr will ever submit to their demands. Ever."




"If she's still anything like she was a few years ago, we watch her in shifts." Leo picked at his food on the rooftop, not really hungry but knowing that he needed to eat something. After a few hours of harassing the Dragons and a few other gangs, it was time to break and deal with a new problem: Wren.

"Her daughter's missing and she feels useless," Donnie interjected, feeling his own lack of appetite as he added his input. "I certainly don't blame her." He offered a sheepish smile and held up his hands defensively when Leo looked at him. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm right with you! I don't want to have to sew her up again. Once was bad enough."

"I say we just tie her up and let the kids watch her as soon as we get back," Raph grumbled, flinging a pepperoni disk to the cat that was stalking their pizza. The cat scampered away with it's prize, tail high in the air.

Mikey's appetite seemed to be the only one unaffected by the stress. There definitely wouldn't be any left overs to bring home. "Then she's going to think we don't trust her."

The other three responded in unison. "We *don't*."

The blue-eyed terrapin looked up in mid-bite. "We don't?"

"Remember, Mikey?" Donnie shook his head, resting a hand on his mate's shoulder. "Twelve hours and six hundred, thirty-four stitches later *after* she was told by her mother to run?"

"Yeah, but she has a good head on her shoulders. Did you still want that piece....?"

"Take it." Don sighed, handing his two-bites-taken slice over to Mikey.

"Daytime track?" Raph looked to Leo as the Clan Leader slowly chewed his food.

"I'm sure Miwa won't mind. And neither will Father."

The pizza box was crushed and then dropped into the dumpster four stories below. "Then we rotate ourselves at night, right, Fearless?" Raph frowned, not liking that idea, either. "It weakens us as a team."

"But we can handle the loss of one." Leo was confident in that. He had made certain his team could function efficiently with one man down ever since the kids arrived. "AJ can't handle the loss of her mom." He shook his head briefly, correcting himself. Kids were more resilient than that and he knew it. "She *shouldn't* have to handle the loss of her mom."

The sign that Raph was going to go along with the plan was his sigh as he pushed himself up off the ledge. "I still say we should tie her up now. It'll save us a lot of trouble later."

"Like every time we had to tie you up, right Raph?" Mikey grinned as he moved to follow his brothers. He sniggered, leaning in closer. "Or do you not mind it when *Leo* ties you up?"

A strangled sound came from the youngest turtle as Raph's maw of a hand engulfed his face. "Shut up, nutjob. Your hormones are showing. Go tie Donnie up tonight."

The muffled 'Awwwww" turned into an interested chirp as Mikey peeked between Raph's fingers to look at his taller mate.

"Try it, Mike and see what happens." Donnie frowned slightly, his eyes looking hard at the partially obscured blue ones.

Leonardo wisely kept silent but he managed to throw Raph a knowing look as he grinned.


*******

Setting their sister up as babysitter was perfect. Miwa could keep an eye on Wren and gather more information. After hearing what Wren did at the police station she was just as determined to help keep the woman out of trouble.

At one point it was more the Karai side of her persona that was with Wren than not. "You need to trust them and let them do their job, Wren. If they have to worry about you, it's going to make their job harder." Having been given enough information on Wren's past, Miwa turned a critical eye to the woman's left side. "They don't want to fight for your life like before."

They were taking lunch in at some quiet bistro in a corner away from other people. Wren listened to Miwa with a pout to her lip as she pushed her salad around. "It's been five weeks, Miwa. *Five*. And I'm nowhere near to getting closer to AJ."

"You have to remember that they guys are *not* the police." Miwa reached over to cover Wren's hand. "They work best in the shadows. And they aren't limited to legal codes like the cops." Wren looked up to the other woman and then sighed, shaking her head.

Wren still picked at her food, noting that Miwa's hand squeezed hers. "Look. I'm not telling you this because I don't understand. I do. *I'm* AJ." The grey eyed girl looked up to Miwa, slightly surprised by the admission. "My mother was killed when I was a baby. I was taken from my father and raised by a mad man who trained me to kill my own father. Do you really want that for her?"

"No, of course not! But she's been away from me long enough. I've been away from home long enough. All I know is that she's still alive and to just be *happy* with that thought and nothing else?" The problem was waiting. She'd been waiting forever and there was still no results.

"No, you shouldn't be happy with just that one thought. But you have the best team that money could never buy on your side and she will come back to you." Miwa's tone softened. "Let them do their job. I can't promise you everything will be perfect, but it will fail less when they're allowed to do what they need to." Miwa watched Wren a few moments longer before she sat back, releasing the young woman's hand. "So tell me about her father. What was he like?" Now that it seemed that she'd gotten through to Wren, it was time to change the subject.

Wren decided to follow Miwa's lead and talk about the dashing, cocky Marine who stole her heart and soul. The conversation was not without it's heartache and in the end, Wren fell silent. "It's strange. The Sean here keeps saying how he hears a dog barking all the time."

Miwa's mouth turned up into a small smile. "It *is* the city."

"That's not what I mean. He wakes up to dog barks and he'll turn his head as if he hears one but I don't." She watched as a random dragonfly zipped to their table and land on her straw, irridescent wings glittering a prism of colors. "It makes me wonder if there are other forces at work, here. I think there's something I'm missing."

"Other than this random stranger who knows your family?"

She was about to retort with something mildly sarcastic when another voice interrupted them. "Nice to see two ladies hard at work by relaxing!" In uniform, Sean walked up to the table. "Miss Hamato, Jen. Enjoying lunch on this lovely day?"

Miwa smiled in greeting but it was not as bright or a blushing as Wren's. "Good afternoon, Sean. The ambulance was kind enough to let you out in this humid heat for a breather?"

"For once!" He laughed a bit, resting a hand on Wren's shoulder. "My partner and I are trying to get a lunch in before the next drunk calls in a panic because he lost his legs and can't walk." While Wren glanced up shyly at the man he smiled down at her. "It's really good to see you out doing something other than work yourself to death."

Miwa fell into the role of chipper BFF. "Go me! De-stress coach, all the way. I've got my eye on Jen so you can concentrate on your work." When she said those words, her eyes were on Wren. "It's easier to get your job done because you're not worried about the people you care about."

Wren heard the reinforcement loud and clear but looked up to Sean as she touched his fingers with her own. "What are you planning to get?"

"They have really good BLT paninis here. That and some iced tea would be awesome about now in this heat. Oh! I found a place. There's a karayoke competition at this one bar tomorrow night. Winner takes a three grand pot." His eyes flickered up to Miwa. "Come and join us. Bring a date. It'll be a blast and I'm pretty certain Jenny's going to win."

Miwa's brow went up. "Oh? You sing?"

"Sean. You have no idea if I'll win or not. Though it's a nice thought. I can start to repay you for everything you've done for me."

Sean grinned, shaking his head. "You have no debt in my books. And I hear you sing in the shower. You'll knock 'em dead." Just then the tones came over his radio and he checked his pager. "Looks like lunch is going to become dinner. Gotta jet." Without a second thought he leaned down to kiss Wren's forehead. "Stay safe, Jenny. Thanks for keeping an eye on her for me! Tomorrow?"

Miwa smiled, wiggling her fingers in the air. "Tomorrow it is!" As the paramedic left, her eyes shifted to Wren and her smile turned into a grin. "So he's really, *really* into you."

Wren blinked back into the present, flushing at the fact she'd been caught. "Yeah. He is."

"And you're really, *really* into him."

Some of her blissfully happy look faded. "Yeah. I am."

"So the problem is..?"

Wren's face dropped further as she sipped her drink. "Here? Here I'm Jenny Cougar, federal agent so secret I can't even tel him what branch I serve. And he's Sean Valcour, paramedic in a New York City that's been invaded by aliens and mutants. He doesn't know who I am, doesn't know I'm not from around here and I absolutely can *not* bring him home. And I don't want to stay here." She huffed softly, swirling the ice in her empty glass. "Donnie keeps reminding me of this and the interdimensional ramifications like I don't know it myself."

"Whoa. The Dimensha-what again?"

"It could alter too much. Worlds could go 'poof' if Sean was alive again in my world. Not to mention the heavy duty explanations." Wren looked completely miserable now as the clerk brought out the check.

Miwa took it before Wren could look at it. "You know, it could be a second chance. Maybe...it's not like you'd be completely cut off from your family and AJ has her cousins here."

"It's not that simple." Wren paused for a moment. "Do you mind if I ordered something to go?"

"Not at all. My treat. And we'll go shopping for this double date, too."

"Who are you bringing?"

"I'll borrow Casey for the night. He should get an extra lesson or four in how to woo a lady, anyway."

Comments

8

[aristastarfyr]

Tomorrow night was more than just a date. It was turning out to be a group endeavour. Miwa had done her best to find something with a plunging neckline and relatively modest hemline for Wren, doing her hair up as instructed and securing the strange knotwork with hair sticks. Her jewelry was simple. Miwa had something equally slinky and definitely oriental with a slit along her thigh for mobility. Her earrings weren't as subtle as Wren's but they framed her face beautifully.

When the couples met up, the usual pleasantries were exchanged. Casey acted as if he never knew Wren and she responded in kind. Unbeknownst to Wren the turtles were watching from a safe location and listening to their conversations through the transmitter in Miwa's earrnng.

Mikey got a chance to peek at the group through borrowed binoculars and he threw out a low wolf whistle. "Man, our sister looks HOT. And Wren looks hotter." He popped his head up and grinned at Donnie. "But she's no match for the Mikster, was she, Donnie-boy?"

"I'm going to shut you up tonight, Michelangelo," Donnie snatched the binoculars from his mate's hands as he grumbled. "One way or another."

"Oh! Does that mean you're going to shove something in my mouth lat--erg!" Raph's hand was becoming a decent muzzle these days.

"I still have that rope I've been saving for Wren, nutjob."

"We have a job to do, ninjas." When Leo spoke in that tone, he was obeyed without fail. They all fell silent as they listened in on the conversation.

"Oh, so this is more than just a contest, huh?" Miwa's voice sounded smug. "No more cast!"

"It came off today," Wren supplied with relief coloring her tone. "I'm so happy it's gone. The weeks have been frustrating with it on."

Sean's voice was heard, clearly Brooklyn and none of the drawling Creole that was known only by the recordings he had made for Wren. "Don't get too eager to celebrate quite yet. There's still PT to deal with."

Wren was a little like her former self as she joked with the others. "As long as the therapist doesn't have my mother's name, I should be good." The conversation went on while they waited to get in and once Wren finished the entry into the contest, they all settled down with a meal. The men ordered beer and Miwa kept to water. Bottled water. Wren wasn't so oblivious that she didn't pick up on that. "Something about the wine?"

Miwa smiled pleasantly, shaking her head. "This place just doesn't have the best reputation on wine for me. I'm not fond of the color."

Wren looked perplexed. "There's usually white, blush and red. Is there another color I don't know about?"

"Well, there's plum! I don't consider that a part of the scheme of wines since that's usually made without grapes."

Donnatello immediately picked up on Miwa's words. "Oh shell."

Leo's eyes darkened over to his brother, asking silently for explanation. Even Mikey and Raph drew closer, taking note of the color draining from Donnie's face.

"They're in Purple Dragon territory. She's trying to let us know without Wren catching on."

"--You know, I think plum wine is excellent." At least it seemed that Wren was oblivious. "But I consider that in the blush category."

Sean laughed. "Would you like a glass of wine, Jenny?"

"And be a drunken mess on stage? No, thank you. I don't need to be reddit fodder. Looks like a coke for me-"

Leo leaned in close, his eyes trained on the side of Donnie's face. "Do we need to pull them out?"

Donatello held his hand up, listening for a moment more to see if there was any other information. 'No. It'll draw more attention."

"Do you think this Sean's a mole?"

"...No." Donnie turned to look at Leo. "I doubt that very much."

Satisfied with the answer, they could only wait for what seemed like forever. Wren came up on to sing for the initial rounds. There were still several more to go during the initial process of elimination. While there was a break, Sean tried his voice at singing.

"Totally cheesy," Don muttered, rubbing his face with his hand.

"What is it?"

"They're singing love songs to each other! In public!" The turtle turned the ear piece up just as Sean's voice went through the lyric about broken halos and fighting.

Mikey's face split into a wide grin. "Aw, that's sweet, D! Trace Roman-teek!"

"No, not Tres, romantique," Donatello corrected his mate's horrible French. "They're not from the same dimension! I warned her about this."

Leo sighed through his nose. Not this again. "Donnie. Let's just concentrate on her not going off on her own and trying to get the Dragon's attention, alright?" He stopped, listening to Wren's counter song. "Isn't that their wedding song?"

"Do you think he knows?" Mikey was all googly eyes as he grinned from ear to ear. "Now if that's not romantic, I don't know what is!"

"This isn't supposed to be romantic, Mikey, this shouldn't be even happening!"

"Can we keep this to a dull roar?" Raph whispered loudly as he glared at them. "If they're in Dragon territory, then we're in dragon territory. It'd be smart to keep a quiet profile."



"Jenny, you're going to beat the pants off all these guys!" Sean was on his feet, applauding like he'd just seen Elvis perform.

Wren had the presence to blush as Sean swung an arm around her. "If you were the judge, I'm sure the contest would be over by now. But that would be an unfair advantage, wouldn't it?"

"Doesn't matter, Beautiful. You're gonna win regardless."

"Before I win this thing hands down, I'm going to use the rest room."

"I'll go with you, Jen," Miwa offered, already getting up and taking her clutch. "The restrooms here can get skanky from time to time."

The bathroom trip seemed uneventful until Wren went to wash her hands with Miwa following a few seconds later. In the split second it took for Miwa to open the door, Wren was gone. "Jenny?"

The girl wasn't that fast. She was no ninja. But to have heard her exit the stall and then not be there? Miwa glanced at all of the other stalls, frowning. "Think we have a problem." She moved back to the main room, searching for her friend. All she saw were the guys, talking about some sport or another.

"Shit. They already had their sights on her."

9

[aristastarfyr]

He just knew he shouldn't have bothered listening to Leo and just tied the fool girl up and tossed her into the supply closet of their lair. Taping up a full body poster of Donnie would have kept her there, he was sure of it. Now Raph was with his brothers two weeks after Wren disappeared, at the docks fifteen minutes to midnight. With the last full lunar eclipse just minutes away from coming to its height, the Hamato brothers all looked down at the strange design that had been hastily painted in secret on the dock grounds. He was fairly certain that those were ritual things-Raph had seen plenty of those joke sites for Satanist cults that the kids made to scare themselves. This stuff he was seeing now was older than that. It felt older. And it made his skin crawl.

His eyes shifted over to his mate who looked as if none of this affected him. He knew it affected Donnie because of the gasp and it affected Mikey because he actually swore. Leo? Leo was a hard reader if you didn't know what to look for. He was stock still from their vantage point, mentally scoping out all of the entrances and escape routes and whatever else he needed in order to formulate a plan. Any indication that this was bothering him was kept tucked in deep and refused to come to the surface.

"MAMA!"

Scratch that. Hearing his niece scream like that affected him. That one tendon in his neck bulged as his jaw tensed and there was a twitch in his hand. Other than that there was nothing. Cool ice in the heart of winter Leo could be and Raph loved him all the more because of that. It was the reason why Leo was Clan Leader and Master. If Raph had been in charge, he would already have signed his brothers' death certificates with barging down there. The fact that Leo moved that much proved how upset he truly was about all of this. The sound of another voice broke through his thoughts and he snapped his head back around to hear.

Six children were tied to respective posts, sobbing hysterically or checked out of reality. Some sort of altar had been erected and Wren was in the center of it, strapped down tight. Her eyes were on her daughter, trying to soothe her even though she was in the most immediate danger. But when she heard the voice, her eyes went back to the man who was orchestrating all of this and she froze. "So glad you could join us for our little tea party, Daughter Starfyr." Wren's eyes grew wide as she saw the man, her jaw slack. "Ah. I see news of my utter destruction was greatly exaggerated. And you're so deserving of an explanation."

"Sure as hell I am," Wren muttered, "By all means, go into your evil plan tirade so the heroes of the story can get here," she tested her bonds, knowing there was no way to escape them. "Twirl your little mustache and laugh evilly. Get it out of your system."

"We'll begin with the simple things. One? You might have noticed that I look very familiar to you. And you might be also surprised that I know you. You see, your mother didn't completely abolish her cousin all those years ago before your brother was born. But I'm sure you've read those Potter books, haven't you, darling?" The man smiled. It wasn't pretty or kind. "They're true, you know. In a sense. The soul can be fractured and luckily for me, most of it was out of that shell of a body your mother beheaded. It took me a couple decades to put myself together, but here I am! Your dear, dear cousin Dylan."

She gleaned enough from her parents to know who Dylan was. Dylan was Hawke's sire. Dylan was the one who put the marks on her mother to bring forth a child of untold power. Even though he'd been killed, he still tore her family apart. Wren's eyes glittered hard as she glared at the man. "So why do you want me and my daughter if you want my brother instead?"

"It doesn't matter who I have as long as I have the bloodline. Your precious little girl would have been enough but to have you added into the mix means I don't have to wait for another eclipse. You'll be more than enough to compensate for the two others I needed." Dylan grinned, holding up a vial that contained a greyish white powder. "Know what this is, Darling?"

"My name's Wren."

"Well. This one's name is Venom." Dylan grinned when he heard her gasp. "Never thought you'd be a component to bring back the dead, did you?"

What happened afterward was a blur. Wren remembered listening to soft whistling noises and then she was free as all hell broke loose. Her first goal was to reach the children. Raph had gotten there first. He was the epitome of protective fury as he had AJ in one arm and his sai in his free hand, already working through the kids' ropes. "Wren! Get the shuriken from my obi. You know the pocket." His eyes were filmed over as he glanced up at the onslaught of ninja coming towards them. Before Wren could get to them he was fighting them one handed, keeping AJ's head and face protected in the maw of his hand and his plastron while his sai stabbed and broke noses. Wren more or less skirted around the fight, her knowledge in combat being next to none save for that one battle. Every so often she made a connect that counted, but she relied more on her speed and agility than fighting prowness.

She made it to the turtle, squeaking in a breath as she skidded around behind him as a ninja went after her. He came between the two, colliding with the enemy and roaring at the same time. AJ clung to her uncle for dear life, gasping once but otherwise did little to distract Raph from the fight. "AJ!" Wren finally met up with the pair, grabbing at her daughter as Raph released her.

"Get the other kids and get in that shipper there," Raph pointed with his sai to one of the shipping containers that made up one of the walls of this battle zone. "Leo's going to have it open for ya. Get in, be quiet. Wait for us."

"Yes," Wren replied automatically, hand in his belt for the shuriken. Her eyes were everywhere, trying to plot out the best way to get the kids into the safe place.

Raph spared a moment to kiss the top of the little girl's head. "I'll cover ya as long as I can. Watch your mother, Little Fearless."

"I will, Uncle Red." The group dispersed with new purpose. Wren managed to get through the rest of the bonds, herding the little ones as Mikey's tell tale battle whoops echoed over them through the fight. Once in the shipping container, Wren made them all huddle in the center of the container so that they would be away from the walls in case there was gun fire. It was there through the battle and screams and calls that Wren wove the story about guardian angels protecting children from bad men, filtering enough so that young minds wouldn't see the turtles as turtles.

Eventually there was silence save for the quiet murmurs of Wren's story washing over the children. When she felt the heavy stillness, her voice stopped and she listened, soothing one little boy's shuddering whimpers. Wren kept her eyes on the doorway, waiting for a sign that it was over. The sign was a strong voice in fluent Japanese. Wren responded in Kirin and the voice responded after that in the same language. AJ wiggled out of her mother's arms to run towards the voice, calling out for her Uncle Leo in the process. With the other five kids Wren came out, smiling as she saw how the turtles gathered around AJ, each of them trying to touch either an arm or a leg as she clung to the clan leader. "It doesn't matter what your angel looks like. They will always be there to protect you."

"Does that mean AJ has four of them?"

"At least!"

"Jenny!"

She turned to the familiar voice, her face going ashen in the process. How the hell did Sean know about this place? She didn't have time to turn and warn the turtles-they would have disappeared in a flash anyway-but the thing that kept her voice trapped in her throat was the fact that Dylan was right behind Sean, stalking him with gun in hand. The pop echoed through the tin and the look of shock splashed across Sean's face as red bloomed in his belly.

"SEAN!!"

There was another pop and then a flash of green right behind Sean. Wren never heard the sound of steel as Dylan's head dropped to the ground, followed by his body.

10

[aristastarfyr]

"The break up of the Coven of Nine happened last night with the help of the NYPD and SWAT teams. Five of the six missing children were in the mix with the rumor that they were slated to be some sort of sacrifice. Search for the sixth child is underway while the families of the abducted children are contacted. The lives of the brave EMTs who were the first to arrive on the scene were lost in the crossfire and their names will be released as soon as family members have been con--"

Wren flipped the remote off and rose from her seat in the over used and bottomed out couch, unable to listen to the news any more. She walked through the lair almost like a spectre herself, listening to the movement of water in the pipes and the sounds of children playing on a board game with Mikey orchestrating through the rules. "Aw, dude! Watch out for the troll!"

"Daddy, we beat up the troll two squares ago."

"....THIS IS ANOTHER ONE!"

There was a chorus of groans from the kids with AJ piping up. "I think that's cheating, Uncle Mike."

"Nu-uh! Where does it say in the rules you can only have one troll?"

"I didn't find them--"

"HA! Can't prove it!"

She walked on, moving towards the dojo. There was a sense of unrest there and she glanced in, spotting Leo, surrounded by candles. She knew he was trying to meditate and probably wouldn't have wanted to be bothered, but she stepped inside anyway, making certain her shoes were off before doing so. Moving quietly-at least for her- she walked over and knelt before him, waiting.

He made her wait for several minutes before acknowledging her presence. "What is it, Wren?" His tone was different. Clipped. Short.

"You're mad at me."

"Ma--" He had to open his eyes, then. They glittered hard in the tiny firelight. "Mad. Mad is what I get when Raph pushes my buttons. When Mikey doesn't stop with his taunts and pranks the first five times. You did more than push."

"What?"

"I told you to stay put. Don't go looking for the Purple Dragons. And what did you do? The first chance you got?"

She shook her head. "No. I didn't seek them out. They snatched me."

"Lying doesn't happen in my house--"

"--My father's still alive."

"You should act like it."

Wren dug her nails hard into her thighs instead of acting on impulse. She'd never get a slap in anyway. Instead she took a breath and held it. "When was the last time you didn't hear me come into a room, Leonardo? Because I've been ninja training all my life like you and I'm dead silent, right? They. Took. Me. With a knife in my rib." There was no hesitation on her part when she lifted her shirt to show the two week old slice between her ribs just under her breast. "It was go with them and maybe live or scream and die then. And you wanted me to live. So I did what they told me to do. I'm sorry for obeying you." She was hurt more that Leo implied she had lied, but she understood the reasoning behind it. She had thoughts to go and find AJ but had changed her mind. It was hard to wait.

Looking past his anger, Leo knew she wasn't lying. It screamed with the very fiber of her being that she had been abducted even though up until that point she was thinking about going out on her own to look for them. He had to close his eyes and take a breath. "What changed your mind?"

She thought about not answering, but rose to her feet, muttering dully. "Miwa said she didn't want to see another Karai happen. And I agreed with her."

He heard her walk off and he didn't do anything to stop her. Instead he lit another candle to honor his sister.



Wren finally found herself in the doorway of Donnie's lab with things beeping and whirling and doing whatever they needed to do. Donatello himself was measuring out something with a pipette. "You talked to him?"

She didn't move from the doorway and instead gripped her elbows with her hands in a half-hug. "Yeah."

"How'd it go?"

"Not so good. But not as bad as I thought it would be."

Don grunted, stirring liquid in a glass beaker. "That's how it usually happens. Did he lecture you?"

"How long are his lectures?"

"Days long if we let him go at it."

"No."

"Then you might be in the clear,"

"Great." Wren looked over to the shadowy area of the lab. The area where most of the beeping occurred. "How's he doing?"

"As well as can be expected for a guy who got his liver shot up and had a mutant turtle piece him back together. You humans are lucky that organ can regenerate somewhat." He put his experiment down and walked over to the sick bed that had an unconscious Sean lying in it. "Vitals are on the weak side, but they're stable. Since he's not in a hospital, I say he's doing pretty well over all."

"When do you think he'll wake up?"

The tall turtle shook his head, shrugging a bit. "I have no idea. Not any time soon, at least. Then we'll have a whole other host of issues to deal with."

Wren watched the rise and fall of Sean's chest and the slow beep of the heart monitor. "Can I stay here with him for a bit?"

"Sure, Wren." Donnie's expression softened when he watched Wren pull up a chair and take Sean's hand in hers. "I've done what I could. Better than the hospital, I guess. Considering the time wasted to get there would have killed him."

"Thank you." She looked up with glassy eyes. "All of you. Really. You didn't have to do this."

"Never convince yourself of that. We're family, no matter what." He reached out to check the bandage on her arm. Was it luck or fate that she was a universal donor? He remembered her mother saying something about O negative people coming from another place, but it was hard to discern what was crazy talk and what was truth. "Make certain you eat and drink something again soon. Two pints is a lot to pull at one time and the human body only contains six or so."

"Yes, Healer." Her smaller, chilled hand moved to cover his. At that prompt, Don pulled a blanket out for her.

"You keep feeling cold like that and I'm bringing out the winter lamps. Mikey and Raph will start a fight about them if they find out."

They sat in relative silence, listening to the beeping and whirring sounds. It was almost enough to lull Wren into a doze until she heard the patter of light feet. "Alanna?" Wren knew her daughter's foot falls and didn't look up immediately.

The little girl made a soft noise, her eyes going over to her uncle. "May I come in, Uncle Don?"

"You may," Donnie only glanced up to make certain AJ only went over to the infirmary side of the room before returning to his work.

Wren opened up her arms so her daughter could crawl into her lap and for a few minutes the pair snuggled together. "Love you, little girl," she murmured softly, stroking her daughter's hair in the process.

"I love you, Mama." It was a sweet moment and Donnie actually shrunk a little in his shell, determined not to eavesdrop in the private moment. "Don't worry. Daddy's coming." And that's when the thought of leaving the lab skittered away from Don's brain.

Wren was just as surprised. "What?"

"Daddy's coming. He'll be here, soon." There was just a grin on the little girl's face that Wren didn't know what to say. "It's just a little hard to get used to things again. But he'll be back."

"Alanna..." To be honest, Wren didn't know how to respond to her daughter. She shifted a bit, eyes moving to the unconscious form on the medical cot before looking at those blue eyes her daughter held. "Things don't work that quickly."

"He wants you to have patience. And hope." The girl's hand moved up to touch Wren's cheek and for a moment it looked like Wren was going to cry. "Sashi wanted to show me something in the dojo. Can I go?"

"Your Uncle Leo's in there. Make certain you two don't interrupt, okay?"

"Kay, mama."

"And shoes off in that room."

"Right!"

As the little girl scampered off and Wren pulled the blanket around her shoulders a little more. She jumped when Donnie spoke. "What does she mean by that? She knows he's dead."

"I don't know," Wren responded, shaking herself out of her thoughts. "She never exhibited any signs to being able to speak to spirits, either. This is a new one for me."

11

[aristastarfyr]

The days passed by in the Lair. AJ was thrilled to be with her cousins and even more thrilled when the 'sleep overs' lasted more than a few days. Not only did she have her Uncles to dote on her, but also her mother and new friends as well. There was Auntie MiMi and Papa Yoshi, and another Aunt and Uncle. Most of her days were spent playing and joining in on the the training sessions the other children were involved in. AJ worked with her cousins, practicing the kata they were given by Michelangelo. Mikey's eyes were on all four of them and then he grinned. "Hold right there, dudes." He moved to the doorway, calling for Leo. They shared whispered tones with each other that caught Wren's attention. Nursing yet another cup of tea, she watched them curiously as Leo moved in at Mikey's prompting. "You gotta see this. It's amazing! Alright. Start again."

It was the second kata of the Jo Ryaku no Maki level. The tots were working on it as well as the first one so their forms were wobbly and easily lost their balance. AJ almost had it down to perfection. Her form was extremely accurate for someone so young. Leo's eyes and face betrayed nothing as they watched all the children and when they finished, he noted his son and the twins bowing with Alanna noticing the act and following uncertainly after. "How many times have you shown them this one?"

"Twice, Sensei." Normally Mikey wouldn't have been so formal, but he was teaching the children the proper way to behave in the dojo. Leo nodded.

"You've done well today. You're dismissed. Alanna?" Thinking she was in trouble, she stood stock still, looking up at her uncles with wide eyes. Leo eased his stance, smiling warmly as he knelt down. "You did really well for your first time with the kata. You're welcome to practice with the other children for as long as you're here. And if it's okay with your mom and you, I'd like to see you train with them once in a while. Would you like that?"

The girl could only nod her head as her eyes glanced back to her mother for reassurance. Wren smiled and nodded a bit. "Yes, Uncle Leo."

"Alright. Go on and play. It's time for your uncles to train."

AJ threw her arms around her uncle's neck, clinging hard. "You're not angry at mommy anymore?"

Leo started for a moment, not realizing that his thoughts would have been picked up so easily. His hand went around her waist to pull her into a hug. "I was worried and upset. Not angry."

"She is." AJ whispered the revelation. It was shocking to carry on an adult conversation with a little girl. "Scared you're still angry."

"This is not something for little girls to worry about," Leo corrected gently, thumbing her chin. "Leave the grown up stuff to the grown ups, alright? Go on, now. Uncle Red likes to pretend he's big and scary in the dojo." Mikey sniggered behind Leo at the comment.

She shook her head with wide eyes. "Oh. No, you are, I think." But she turned away to go play with the others and to let the adults talk.

Wren watched her go chase after her cousins, her head turned back for a moment. Her attention went back to Leo when she heard him make a voluntary sound. "She grew up quick," Leo said first. There was a bit of sadness in the tone.

"Can't blame her," Wren said softly. "I've been watching her, waiting to see when she was ready to talk." The young woman took a breath, shrugging slightly. "I don't even begin to know where to go from here. It's not like there are any therapists who deal with interdimensional abductions."

"Did you sign her up for classes in a dojo somewhere?" The topic change was sudden and on purpose. Now wasn't the time to dwell on upsetting things.

"No. They don't start until age five. Why?"

"She's a natural, Wren. Scary natural like Mikey when he wants to apply himself."

Mikey beamed at the compliment. "That's right!--hey..."

Wren couldn't help but smile at that. "She must be a quick study."

"I think there's more to it than that. Not that these katas are terribly difficult, there's still a measure of balance that needs to be achieved with them. We're at a disadvantage because our center of gravity is different. But with Alanna..." Leo shook his head a bit. "It's like she just needs to be reminded and she knows the form already. A little unpolished, but it's there."

Wren was a little hesitant on what Leo was trying to imply. "So you're saying you want to train her?" All she could think of at this moment was Hawke training at the mountain. Being unable to see him for months at a time.

"Not exclusively, no." Because that kind of training and dedication would mean Alanna living with them. She was human and needed to live her life. "But during visits, maybe a couple weeks out of the summer if it doesn't interfere with anything. She should get signed up somewhere. There's a great potential there."

"Let me think about it, Leo." Wren wasn't ready to commit to anything. She was still raw from the recent events and didn't want to say anything. There was a jump from her when she felt a hand on her shoulder, her head turning back to look at him.

"Wren."
"What." Her whole body was tense, waiting for a fight. It was then that Mikey decided a discreet exit to get his brothers was in order.
Leo stopped what he was going to say for a moment and really looked at his friend, his lover's sister. It was then that things sank into place and he sighed, dropping his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up, now. No one's taking AJ anywhere, not even us, okay? She's going with no one but you."

While they were worried about another 'Karai' situation, Wren was just as concerned now that there was going to be a 'Hawke' situation. Still cautious, her head tilted in his direction. "Are we...okay, now?"

"Yes. We're okay." He could at least say that with great certainty. Wren leaned forward, hugging Leo tightly as he returned it as well. "Would you like to watch or are you going to get some rest?"

"I think I'll stick around for a few minutes. I like watching all the various take downs you guy's practice." She smirked a bit, pulling away. "You know, all that underlying tension."

"Ha. That's all Raph."

"I'm sure it is."

12.1

[aristastarfyr]

The children were all piled into the kids' room with coloring books and crayons scattered everywhere. Each of them had their own coloring book and were adding to it either with great precision or great chaos. AJ was somewhere in the middle. Not every line was adhered to, but the colors she used were dark and blurring with each other.

Darwin was the first to notice and he spoke in his quiet voice. "What's that?"

"The room I was in," she answered, not looking up from her scribbles. "I was here with the others. We ate and slept and sometimes played."

"The others?" Ada looked eager to know more. After all, it was just the three of them and AJ when they visited each other. They didn't have other friends or playdates. "Were they friends?"

"Uh huh. I miss them, but they have to be with their own families." There was one spot in her page of darkness that was unblemished and still that off-white color of the page. "Especially him."

The tots blinked, looking at each other then at the page. "There's no one there."

"Yes there is." AJs finger tapped on the uncolored spot. "Felix. The bad man knocked him down and he didn't get up. He turned into the light."

"Why didn't he get up?"

"He got broke." The little girl's face turned tragically sad for a moment and then she looked up at them. "Sometimes you get broke and can't get fixed."

Darwin shook his head. "My Dad can fix anything. Anything Daddy breaks, 'specially."

"Fixing things is different than people."

"No way. Uncles get hurt? Dad fixes them, too." Darwin nodded with is sister following emphatically. Musashi watched AJ's reaction while biting his own lip.

"Wish your dad was there. Felix could have gotten fixed, then."

"We heard them talking before they went and got you and Auntie Wren." Musashi ventured forth in quiet tones, leaning up against AJ's side. "They were scared for you."

"Mom said we had to be brave. The other kids were really scared and they didn't understand that your dads were there to help us so we told them stories." She didn't really look at any of them when she spoke. Her eyes were locked on her picture. At the very least she leaned into Musashi and didn't draw away from him.

"Can I brush your hair?" Ada piped up suddenly, not liking the way AJ was looking. "We need to find a brush. Come on, Darwin. Brush hunting time."

"B-but AJ-"

"'Sashi has AJ. I want a brush for her hair." Ada tugged on her brother's hand, grunting to get him moving. The smaller turtle reluctantly followed, glancing back at his cousins in the process.

Musashi didn't look back and instead just hugged Alanna. He didn't understand everything that she was going through, but he wanted to help. That's what family did for each other. "Everyone's scared, sometimes. Sad, too."

"I don't wanna leave here," she admitted softly, clinging back fiercely. "They could come back and I don't want to go. They'll hurt Mama again."

"No one's hurting no one. My dads are ninja. Anyone comes here and they shouldn't are dumb." He leaned back too far and tumbled backward, rocking on his shell with AJ beside him. "Oof!"

"Your shell's hard," AJ said with a small giggle.

"Gotta be. It keeps our soft parts safe."

"I don't have one."

"You're not a turtle."

"So I don't get safe soft parts?"

"Nope."

AJ pouted. "Meanie."

"Am not."

She fell quiet after that, curled up around Musashi more than anything. He gave a soft trill, nuzzling the side of her head gently. It was something his fathers would do if any of them were sad or frightened or ill. It came naturally to him to do that as it had been with all the kids. The adults didn't restrict them in making their natural sounds and had started to attune themselves to it more when the children were hatchlings. In many ways it had been freeing just like allowing themselves to churr when they had starting becoming intimate.

"Brush!" Ada crowed, holding one toothbrush and Darwin wielded another. AJ lifted her head and smiled.

"Those are for teeth, not hair!"

"It was all we can find," Darwin responded, giving the girl an admonishing look. "Do you see us with hair?" Ada didn't seem to mind a bit and sat behind AJ with a small grunt, waiting for the girl to sit up so she could start brushing.

12.2

[aristastarfyr]

Wren took it upon herself to make lunch. Tomato soup and grilled cheese and there were even a few cans for tuna fish sandwiches. Her first duty was to make certain the children would have enough and then provide for four hungry adult turtles. With the way they were training in the dojo she was certain they would be passed famished. While the soup was from cans, she did her best to add just a little extra touch so it was more home made.

"'Kay, guys, soup's on!"

Silence.

"Kids?" Making certain the burner was off, she wiped her hands on a dish towel and went to investigate where the children went. Wren made a cursory glance into the dojo, not bothering to interrupt and she even peeked into the bathroom, gasping at the disaster she found in there. "What in the world?" The medicine cabinet looked like it had been raided with more than half of the contents strewn about. For a brief moment she worried that Don kept medicines in there and then quickly pushed it aside. He had an entire infirmery. No need for a medicine cabinet to hold the same purpose.

They were up to something. She didn't know quite what as she kept searching the lair. Eventually she located the children in the bedroom, giggling and talking to each other. Turning around the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the rat's nest that had become her daughter's hair and the turtle tots happily 'brushing' it with tooth brushes. The only reason why she didn't blow up was because of the smile on her daughter's face. "It's lunch time, kids."

AJ turned, tooth brushes sticking out of her snarled hair as she grinned. "They're brushing my hair, Mama!"

"Yes, dear." A very uncertain sigh came from her. "Your cousins are really helpful, aren't they?" Wren moved down to one knee, looking at the disaster she would have to work through. "But these brushes are meant for teeth, not for hair. If you want to help out AJ, ask for a hair brush, okay? Human hair this long can get knotted very easily and this?" Oh boy. "This is very knotted."

The turtles' faces dropped immediately as they looked from Wren's head to AJ's head, realizing that there was a very big difference. "Sorry," they all mumbled at varying degrees. Ada seemed to be the most devestated out of the group and Wren put a gentle hand on the girl's head. "Let me work on this and then I can show you how to use a proper brush, Ada. And then maybe I'll show you how to braid, alright? But lunch first."


That was how the brothers found their family in the kitchen. The disaster still in the bathroom brought mild alarm, but Wren hadn't called them so she either hadn't known or didn't think it was that important. The three tots were munching on their sandwiches in near silence while AJ was seated in her mother's lap, wincing ever so slightly as Wren was very slowly and methodically working to untangle her daughter's hair. A small glass of golden liquid sat by her and Wren hummed quietly as she dipped her fingers into the liquid and then spread them into AJ's knotted strands.

"WHOA!" Mikey was the one who stopped dead in his tracks first. "Who got a hold of D's static wand thing?"

The way the tots shrank told them all they needed to know. Leo was the first to ask. "Musashi?"

"They wanted to brush AJ's hair but all they could find were teeth brushes," the turtle let out in a rush, looking up to his parents. Clearly he wasn't the one to blame!

"They?" Donnie turned to look at his twins as Darwin gave his sister a withering look.

"Ada," Darwin muttered sullenly, watching his sister shrink into her shell.

"S-sorry, Daddy," she said softly, soft blue eyes peeking up over her plastron. "But AJ was sad and I wanted to help!"

Wren's face broke for a moment at the admission, her eyes turning worried before the expression was gone. "Can't blame little ones for wanting to help heal." Her eyes flickered up to the men. "It's alright. This just takes time. At least they didn't find the scissors."

Leo smiled softly for Wren's sake before turning to the three kids. "After lunch there's a big mess in the bathroom that needs cleaning. And Musashi should help, too."

"What? Why?" This was when Raphael came out in their little son. Why did he need to be punished when he neither had the idea nor chose to follow through with it?

"Because good, strong leaders will always help others. And you all know the difference between a tooth brush and a hair brush. Did you tell them it was a bad choice to make?"

Luckily for Musashi, his 'Raph' temper was usually mollified by his 'Leo' balance. "No, Father." Just as sullen, but accepting as well.

Donnie and Mike both agreed with the punishment and the taller turtle picked up the little glass, sniffing the contents. "Olive oil?"

Wren nodded a bit, carefully working her fingers through the tangled tresses. "The fats from the olives help keep the damage down. Though once we're done playing with the oil it's bath time so we don't get everything greasy, right?"

"Can 'Sashi and Darwin and Ada come, too?" AJ looked imploringly at her mother, making Wren move her hands with the knot she'd been working on. "Please?"

Wren looked up to the guys. "I have no problem with it."

Raph tskd, rolling his eyes. "You wouldn't."

"Raph. They're kids"

"After the bathroom's cleaned," Leo compromised, placing a hand on Raph's shoulder as the other two brothers nodded in agreement.



Each tot helped 'wash' AJ's hair in apology, making certain it was squeaky clean. Wren herself added a bit of conditioner before the four children were let loose to play in bubbles and water, their shrieks echoing and bouncing off the tiles in the room.. Caution to keep the water in the tub was forgotten frequently and Wren knew she'd be mopping up the mess. As Wren was towelling off each child, Don peeked in on the group, smiling softly at the way Wren took care of each of them as if they were her own and not just mutant turtle cousins. "Light time."

"YES." Ada was most enthusiastic and slipped on a puddle of water trying to reach the lab first. Don had to catch before she landed hard on the floor.

"Light time?" AJ was still working on her shirt and her voice was muffled beneath it.

"Light time is necessary for growing turtles. Especially growing turtles who have played in the water for too long and have gotten chilled." He scooped up Ada first and then Darwin to carry them, nuzzling each of them lightly.

The little girl still looked confused as her mother helped her with her clothes. "Turtles need sunlight to stay healthy. There's no sun down here so they have special lights to help."

A small 'O' formed around AJs mouth and she found her hand in Musashi's as they followed along. Wren made a quick clean up before curiosity hit her and she wanted to see this 'light time' for herself. In passing the main lair, she spotted Raph and Leo. They were both quiet, looking at each other with Raph's hand on the wall by Leo's head. A shiver went down her spine as she smirked, picking up the thought that they were going to start something.

In the lab there was a spot that was blanketed by thick throw rugs and the special lamps were turned on and facing them. Already the twins were cuddled up and yawning as they lay on their plastrons, soaking up the UV. Musashi had tugged AJ into the middle of the pile and tried to snuggle around all of them at the same time. It took the human girl a minute to find a comfortable position amidst shells but she managed just fine. Don watched them tenderly and then turned, taking note at Wren coming in and getting her book by Sean's bed. "I think I'll stay here for a bit," She was all knowing smiles as she took her chair by Sean, stroking his hand lightly before flipping through the pages. "It looked like Leo and Raph were going to get into a heavy debate about something or other."

"What are they fighting about now?" Donnie sighed, shaking his head. "Really, those two--"

Wren couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head. "No, not that kind of debate. The other kind."

It took a moment for Don to catch on. "Oh." Well, it had been a while. And if anything those two were practically nymphomaniacs. With Wren and AJ around they all were a little more subdued in their affections just because of the close quarters.

"Go on, Don. I'm sure Mike's just as lonely." Wren went to her book. "My favorite people are here so it's fine." If being on her own with just her daughter taught her anything it was being with the people you cared about was a precious thing that shouldn't be taken for granted.

12.3

[aristastarfyr]

Donatello was on the hunt, for once. Wren's smirk and casual mention of his brothers 'debating' struck a chord in him. A deep, visceral chord. Normally the intellect of the group, he ignored his needs for days on end. And sometimes, just sometimes, he listened to them.

It was going on two weeks that Sean had been brought down into the lair and Wren and AJ followed. Wren's sense of loyalty and affection for the young man kept her here as well as the notion that being in the lair with her uncles made AJ feel safe. That was no surprise considering the way Raph had clung to her and stabbed at the Purple Dragons that sought to take her. While it was never a burden to care for family, it was a little stressful. Their lair wasn't really equipped for visitors and it was different when the turtles visited their homes. Maybe it was a territory thing.

He heard a soft sound against the wall towards the bedrooms and he caught a flicker of movement. Somehow they had heard or sensed the air lightening up and Leo looked perfectly content with Raph ravaging his mouth, grinding their scutes together in a slow, sensual scrape. The sound made Don whimper softly and shudder as he doubled his efforts looking for his mate.

Michelangelo was found in their room on his stomach, licking one of those gourmet lollipops and leafing through one of his comic books. In many ways, it was as if Mikey was still fifteen-moments like these made him seem young. Well, they were all still young, they just needed to grow up faster than others.

"Hey, D!" Mikey glanced up briefly with a wide grin before looking back at his comic, legs swaying slightly over his shell. "Kids are all squeaky clean, now?"

Don didn't answer as he closed the door with a purposeful click and then strode over to his mate on the bed. The softer muscle lines of his mate made so many underestimate his athletic prowness-sometimes even his own brothers underestimated that. But Don knew better and he stood by Mikey, shedding his gear piece by piece, his eyes never leaving that lolli or the way Mikey's tongue slithered around it. When Mike didn't get a verbal answer he looked up and was momentarily stunned by the expression on Don's face. That was one expression that very rarely cropped up all on its own and the look sent a tingle straight through his cock. "Don? Wh-mmph!"

Even Dontatello could be fast when he wanted to be. In an instant he was down and crushing his mouth to his mate's. "I need you, Mikey."

The reaction was instant. The lollipop was forgotten when a much sweeter treat was presented to him. Donnie wasn't normally this aggressive and Mike wasn't going to question it. He shifted, giving Donnie room to climb on the bed and to find a better angle to kiss him with. His hands moved over Donnie's hands and wrists, stroking higher. Donnie hummed pleasantly and then sighed when he felt Mike's tongue slide into his mouth. Mike sat back so that his shell was up against the wall and Donnie was straddling his hips. Donnie was usually quiet but he was making those soft, needy noises that made Mikey crazy. Couple that with the slight shifting motions and Mikey's cock was already sliding out.

"Donnie. You're so sweet, Don." Mikey let his fingers draw lines down the sides of Donnie's bridge., There was a churr that came from Don and Michelangelo's churr answered in return as he continued touching and caressing, pulling back just long enough to watch the clouded lust infuse Don's face. "What's got you all worked up all of a sudden?" He pressed his thumb up against Don's swollen slit, making the taller turtle moan and shudder. MIkey's grin widened when Don tried to say something but the words were just slurred mumbles. "You know I'll take care of you. Let it all out."

It wasn't often at all that Donnie was like this. Well, it happened during the spring time but Mike assumed it was happening now because of the stress happening. And Donnie must not be too worried about that Sean guy for the time being since he was in here all hot and bothered. Mike's fingers curled around the proud cock that finally jutted out before him, stroking with slow, languid lengths that had Donnie jumping every time he gave a little squeeze. "M-Mikey." There was a little whine at the end that made the decision final. With his free hand he dug around the bedclothes, fingers closing around the tube he'd been searching for.

"Oh yes. Please." Don's eyes were closed, his face close enough so that Mikey could feel his puffs of breath. Prepping Donnie was a blast as it got him even more hot and bothered than before. And feeling his mate's tail shudder as if it had been electrocuted pulled another churr out of Mike. Those mewling sounds were made just for him. Everyone else could go jump off a bridge for all Mike cared. He needed to hear his mate coo and whimper softly just for him. Everyone else heard big words and dry sarcasm. Fine with Mikey! And now he felt the insides of Don, the tight velvet that would encase him completely. Hitting the sweet spot made Mikey moan with Donnie's sharp cry and pleas for more.

He finally couldn't take it any more and a freshly slicked hand was on his own cock, pumping it up to full hardness before he possessed Donnie's mouth in a heated kiss, "Love you, Don," he whispered softly just as he started to breech him, churring loudly as the slick, tight heat squeezed him. He waited, panting roughly and Don began to move, churring his pleasure as he impaled himself over and over on Mikey's cock. The usually verbose turtle had his talking brain cells effectively shut down as he bounced and rolled, whining and shivering through the pleasure. Every time he felt Mike hit his prostate his tail would spasm, shivering and seeking blindly to hold onto something.

Towards the end Mikey held Don up and he thrusted in sharp and quick beneath him. His eyes were glued on his mate's, watching the plateau freeze his face in the most beautiful of expressions before Don's head snapped up and he shouted Mike's name. Muscles clenched and pulsed hard around the younger turtle's cock and he groaned as well, one hand stroking Don's tail and the other pistoning over Don's cock, forcing him to tip over the edge again with a wild cry.

Resting together after sex was one of the rare times that Michelangelo was still. Happy to still be encased deeply, he ran his fingers lightly back and forth over Don's shell as he recover, the small vibrations of the act soothing him. "You're so good," Donnie mumbled, giving the slightly damp skin of Mike's shoulder a nibble and a kiss. "Highly satisfying."

"Completely, totally awesome?"

"That too." A gentle smile was on Donnie's face when he agreed. The smile turned into a smirk when he felt his orientation shift and he was on his shell, looking up at his lover.

"How about....electrifying?" No, Mikey wasn't done. Even in Donnie's recharge time Mikey was holding a hard-on for him. Donnie moaned, still shivering from the over stimulation. "I like it when you're needy, Don. All coy and demanding and just vibrating with what you want." Another churr rolled out of Mike as he took full advantage of his mate's pliant nature. If some experiment or science project hadn't caught Don's brain by now, Mike was all for round two. Donnie reached up to caress Mikey's cheek and then slide his hand around the back of his neck to draw him closer.

"Just shut up and fuck me."

13

[aristastarfyr]

"DADDY!" The scream was long and loud and not from the turtles. AJ had woken from a nightmare it seemed, startling the others so badly that at first all they could do was tremble. She twisted her head back and forth, searching for something in the room and gave another anguished cry as she tried to break for the door. Fear gripped Musashi's heart but he grabbed at her to pull her back. "I'll get Auntie Wren," he told his cousins, knowing that they would keep AJ in the room.

Outside of their room was the ringing sound of sirens-no. Alarms. Coming from Uncle Don's lab. And there were loud voices, mainly Don directing Mike to help him as Wren sobbed out the stranger's name. "Get her out of here!" When Uncle Don commanded, not even his fathers balked.

Daddy was strong and Musashi watched with wide eyes as Raph pulled Wren backwards with her kicking and flailing. Once out of the lab Leo shut the door, his feet planted firmly in front of the door to keep her out. Father meant business when he looked like that. And so did Daddy when he put Wren on her feet, shaking her by the arms.

"You snap outta this shit and pull yourself together, Wren! Or I'm gonna slap ya and Don will have to stop and deal with your concussion!" Raph was snarling in her face and with any other person it would have been terrifying. For Wren it was a wake up call and she seemed to shrivel a bit, leaning into Raph's strong embrace.

"Oh, Red..."

That must be why AJ called him Uncle Red. Musashi looked from adult to adult, not knowing what to do next. Luckily his father made the choice for him. "What are you doing out of bed?"

The sounds of Don and Mikey working were muffled but 'Sashi more than understood the desperate urgency of their words. Something bad was happening. And with the tone his father had, the tot could only snap up and revert to his dojo behavior. "AJ. ... S-she had a bad dream. She's calling for her daddy."

The words of a small child broke the adults out of their own struggles and Wren gasped softly. "Oh my gods..." She wasn't torn between one person and another when the turned, rushing towards the kids' room for her daughter.

Leo watched her go, making certain she wasn't going to be trying to break her way back into the lab again. Desperate words were spoken behind the door as the alarms were finally coming to a stop. It was then he turned his attention to his young son, his expression softening as he saw the way his son was trying to be brave. Raph took a moment to collect himself before he scooped Musashi up, sighing deeply as he saw his son's lip quiver. "Hey. You're alright, squirt."

A moment later Leo's role shifted and he looked concerned, He stepped forward, lifting a hand to his son's head as he felt the tremble run through his boy's body. "You did nothing wrong," he said softly, still keeping an ear out for his brothers. He watched as Raph moved to half cradle their son, running his thumb firmly up and down Musashi's plastron to help soothe him.

"Uncle Don can fix anything, right?" The boy's voice was small and trembling.

"Anything that's fixable," Leo admitted, trilling just a little before kissing 'Sashi's head.

"That man gonna become a light like Felix?"

"Who's Felix?"

"AJs friend."

The pieces slipped into place for the adults. The little boy found in the river with the message for Wren. Leo and Raph shared a look together. "Uncle Don will do his very best as he always does. But the fight is not his alone. Mr Sean has to do his part in wanting to live." The best doctors in the world could be at their disposal, and in Leo's opinion, he was-but if the will to live was gone, it wouldn't matter.

They went back to the one bedroom, finding the children drifting off under the soothing tones of Wren's humming. Her head was down, watching her daughter as she kept petting her hair gently. She looked up when she saw them and smiled just a bit when they arranged the tots and then moved to support her by being on either side. Her humming stopped after a minute. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly, fingers still carding through AJ's hair. "I just... I know he's not mine, but I just can't help it."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Raph groused, leaning up against her left side as Leo took her right. "Any of us would have reacted like that too."

"But that's different. You all belong together here. He...It's not like he can come back with me or I can stay here." She spoke softly as if she needed to convince herself of this fact. "I just don't know what to do."

Leo frowned, nosing the side of her head gently. "A wise man once told me that the heart wants what the heart wants. Sometimes the brain has no choice in the matter. Get some rest. We're not going anywhere, alright?" They would all sleep together in the one room, offering support and comfort as was needed. It wasn't too different from the mountain and Leo had the feeling that Wren needed this the most right now. "Once we know your family got the message, it'll be easier."

"They're probably at Fire," Wren whispered softly, feeling the adrenaline rush crash in her system. She shivered once and Raph pulled a blanket over the three of them, sighing softly.

"They always there that long?"

"If it's Mom's idea? Yes."

That's how Donnie found them when he finally dragged himself into the room. Cuddled together in and on top of blankets, the group slept as peacefully as they could. He was going to tell Wren that Sean had stabilized but he couldn't bring up the motivation to wake her. Instead he was following Mikey's orders to get some rest and in four hours he would be woken to watch Sean over the rest of the night. For now he curled up on the edge of the group bed, pulling a blanket over his shoulders as he drew Darwin into his arms. A soft smile broke on his face when he felt Leo's foot connect with his own, easing into some sort of sleep that wasn't completely restful, but enough to recharge his batteries.

[aristastarfyr]

Three days later came the rest of Wren's family. Or at least, her parents and brother. If the rest of them came, there wouldn't be room in the lair. The reunion was excitable in the middle of the pit with Wren clinging to her parents first and then Hawke. Children squealed happily in the presence of their uncle and he indulged in more of it by lifting them high into the air. Musashi gave a sharp nod as he tugged on Hawke's cloth for his attention. "We kept them safe."

"I thank you," he responded, bowing low. "Family means everything." The little turtle bowed in return which made both Leo and Raph smirk. Hawke only grinned, letting his fingers rest on the little turtle's head. "You will be a fine guardian one day, little one."

Arista turned back to Wren with a small frown. "The message we got was confusing at best. Doppleganger?"

"It seems that your daughter's husband has one, here," Donatello confirmed, walking up to the woman. "And, amazingly enough, he's been living here in New York."

"Oh?"

"Mema," AJ looked up with sparkling eyes and a happy smile. "Daddy's coming."

Wren's face twisted a bit as she heard her daughter, at a loss as to how to fix the confusion. Hawke turned an interested look in his niece's direction, cocking his head a bit in the process. Ari moved down to one knee, ignoring the twinge in the joint as she looked at her granddaughter. "Explain."

"There's this man and he looks like daddy. An' he got hurt but Uncle Donnie's trying to fix him. Daddy said he would help so he's coming soon."

"Daddy said this, Alanna?" Ari looked into the little girl's eyes. "When?"

"Back before I stop hearing Daddy. He's gone and I don't know where he went."

"'Rista," Kohl brought the woman out of her thoughts and Ari smiled softly.

"Come here, punkin." She gathered the girl into her arms and worked to stand up, frowning at the pain in her knee. "Don't get old if you can help it, guys. Donatello, would it be okay if I see him?"

Don shrugged, not seeing any harm in it. "My lab's this way."

"You kept him in your lab?"

"I have a small infirmrary within. Don't worry, I'm not trussing up humans for science experiments."

"Perish the thought." Ari followed along, keeping AJ with her. Kohl rolled his eyes as he grumbled something.

Raph rolled his eyes and smirked as he caught the bit that Kohl said under his breath. "You picked her!"

"What's mom thinking?" Wren said softly, knowing that the others wouldn't have a clue.

Arista looked down at the young man on the bed. Donatello had finished giving the report on his health and was faintly impressed that she followed it thus far. Ari sat down in the chair that Wren normally occupied, sitting her granddaughter on her lap. After being silent for some time, she looked to the the turtle. "You're not going to let them be together, are you?"

Donnie was silent as well, staring at the woman. "No."

"What if that's not your decision?"

"It is." The turtle's expression turned hard. "I don't think you realize just how much blood, sweat and tears I've put into keeping my family safe. Sleepless nights fixing things, fixing my brothers, trying to figure out how things worked so I can make them better and ease the suffering we go through every day. We've survived aliens, the Foot, the government, a deranged madman intent on destroying us all. I absolutely will not have a dimensional paradox be the thing that does us in. No."

"And what if there isn't?"

"You can't say that there won't be."

"And you can't say that there will, either. If Dylan was here for so long..." She smoothed her granddaughter's hair to kiss the top of her head. "You just never know." Her eyes looked up to Don, meeting his hard ones. "What if it was one of yours? Would you still feel the same?"

"Yes." The answer came too quickly.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." He looked away, turning towards some of his experiments. "Because we don't get that lucky in life. It's not possible."

"Don't worry, Mema," Alanna said quietly, touching her grandmother's cheek. "It'll be okay." Her soft voice reminded Donatello that a very adult conversation happened before a small child and he cringed, not liking the fact that Arista and he himself allowed it to happen. It was at that moment that the man on the bed started to stir. Alanna immediately turned her attention to the person on the bed as Donnie moved to act, making certain that Sean's vitals were stable. It was Ari who rose from the seat, saying she would get Wren.

The first tender moments were witnessed by Donatello as Sean's eyes opened and worked hard to focus on the little girl smiling in front of him. She bounced happily, touching the man's rough cheeks. "Welcome home, Daddy."

"Ooh'ah'ha, kitten." The man's voice was rough from disuse, but the spoken words made Donnie freeze to watch Sean cup the girl's head into a very weak embrace. Blue eyes moved to focus on the turtle that hovered above him, his eyes calm and steady instead of wide with shock. Those were the eyes of a man who was used to observing weird things. They were eyes of someone who knew and it unsettled the turtle. "I...would have believed turtles better than ninjas."

Donnie almost dropped the penlight in his hand. "Well, you better believe both then, sir." He continued with his examination as Wren rushed in with the others hanging by the doorway, peering inside. "Why would you say something like that, anyway?"

"With dragons and unicorns, why wouldn't there be big, talking turtles?"

"Sean?" Wren stopped dead, listening to the raspy conversation. Her eyes were wide as she watched the interaction between AJ and Sean, not quite understanding it all.

"'Phelia."

The young woman squeaked, dropping to her knees in a partial collapse. Donatello was with her in an instant, helping her up. There was a silent question in his eyes. "Ophelia. It was my tag name when we texted back and forth."

"You mean recently?"

"No. Back then. Before." Her eyes went back to Sean and she moved from the chair to the edge of the bed, sliding up behind AJ. "S-sean? How...how in the world?" She took in a shaky breath. "How could this possibly happen?"

Sean reached out with the hand that didn't have AJ, the one that had two IVs stuck into it. She grasped it, careful of the tubes. "If a bad man can find a way to a second life, why can't...a good man do it, too?"

"You shouldn't be talking so much," Donnie admonished softly, still trying to confirm that this man who tried dying a few days ago was going to be just fine. He didn't push the little girl or her mother away and chose to work around them.

Darwin was small enough with his sister and cousin to peer at the scene around the adults' legs. He looked back to his father and reached up to take Mikey's finger. "What's going on?"

"No clue, little dude." It seemed as if everyone else was clueless and in order to get some small measure of comfort, he picked up his son.

Leo turned around, working to usher everyone away. "Let's go. They need some privacy." He was still working on what had happened, and what was still happening. It didn't seem possible or probable, but apparently somehow Wren's Sean was alive, once more. His eyes turned quickly to the matriarch. "Do you know how this happened?"

"I can give some theories, but as to exactly how?" Ari shook her head. "The only thing I can say is sometimes death is conquered by love. I just... I've never seen something like this, before."

[aristastarfyr]

AJ watched from the doorway to the lab as her parents spoke to each other. This was something she never witnessed before and it fascinated her. Wren was seated in the chair, both of her hands cradled one of Sean's. She saw how her mother's thumbs stroked the roughened skin with the gentlest of touches. She couldn't hear what Wren was saying, but the words were soft and warm, tinged with a sad emotion that AJ knew all too well. Sean was mostly still in the bed, gazing up at the young woman as if she were the most stunning creature he'd ever seen. His other hand-still attached with tubes- reached up to tenderly tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, causing her mother to laugh softly just as her breath hitched. Sean spoke in turn. His voice was different than what she remembered in her head and on the video. It sounded more like Uncle Red. Her mother didn't seem to mind that as she moved closer to brush her cheek against his and his hand gripped her hair.

The girl turned away and shifted her eyes over to the sounds in the dojo. Raph was at the weights and for the time being Leo was spotting him, counting the reps under his breath. AJ knew her uncle was strong and it showed in the way his muscles bunched under green skin. She remembered how those strong muscles protected her, how his hand cradled her head while the other hurt the people who tried to hurt her and her friends. Now they were assisted by another set of muscles. Leo's. They were strong, too but in a different way. His hands held the bar steady as Raph put forth extra effort to hook the weight back into the cradle. Leo looked down with a slight smile, the play on his lips widening as Raph made a pull up to sneak a kiss from his mate. The odd, rumbling sound that wasn't a purr bubbled up and AJ turned to continue her exploration, missing the way Leo's eyes slid over in her direction before slipping closed.

Mikey was in the middle of cooking. His cooking always smelled fantastic unless he was experimenting on pizza toppings. Then it was clearly less than fantastic and no one wanted to taste test his creations. Donnie was in the kitchen with him, not helping, but being present, his snout in a technical manual. On occasion he jotted notes down in a notebook beside him, but for the most part the only sounds in the kitchen were that of cooking and Mikey's singing. He sang words that AJ didn't know but eventually his loud, confidant voice was harmonized by Donnie's softer tones. He didn't feel the need to completely join in but the soft nature wasn't because he was shy, either. A grin split on Mike's face as he heard his mate add to the music with a voice that was just as pleasant as his own.

Finished with her observations, she practically danced back into the pit of the lair and dive bombed her uncle. Hawke caught her before she could land hard on him and grinned, nuzzling the girl for a moment before grazing his teeth lightly on her jaw. "What did you find, little girl?" Hawke chose to remain while Wren sorted out things with Sean, acting a bit as a sitter for his nieces and nephews in the meantime. Tonight before dinner he offered to watch over the children while the couples had some bonding time and had noted that AJ wandered off, but wasn't worried enough to seek her out. Ada, completely in puppy love, leaned up against his side, paying rapt attention to Hawke's movements. A happy coo came from her as his hand cradled her closer to share his warmth. The other two males were playing with some toys with each other, making up a story about how their toys interacted as they went along.

Alanna responded by describing all three couples. Hawke listened, nodding as AJ continued. Snuggling in, she burrowed under Hawke's and Ada's arms, peeking up with her father's blue eyes. "So when are you and Sohl having kids? I want more cousins."

Hawke grinned, cuddling the girls closer to him. "When the Ancestors chose to bless us. I do not think that will happen soon."

"Why not?"

"Sohl and I are different people. I have never heard of Faunlyn and Human having children. I think we have plenty to look after when you all come and visit the mountain." He heard a small sound from Darwin-something that was very much like a 'humph' and he arched a brow in the small turtle's direction.

"Thought you were going to say because you were males." Darwin was fiddling with a toy car, eyes locked on it but he was seated up and facing their direction.

"Normally young are from a male and female," Hawke started, drawing his fingers down Ada's chin as she leaned into the touch like a cat. "There are always exceptions to rules. Sometimes the exceptions are very good."

"Do you want kids, Uncle Hawke?" Musashi asked, looking up since Darwin distracted himself with the wobbly wheel on the car.

"I have them."

"I mean of your own."

Hawke paused a moment, thinking of the question. "I do not think it is in my path to have the blood of my family passed on through me. But now it looks like Alanna might become a big sister to someone one day like I am a big brother to your mother, yes?"

Alanna nodded her head with uncanny determination and smiled. "Uh huh! And his name is Felix!"

"Who is Felix?" Wren asked as she came into the room, passing through to make something for Sean to eat.

"My baby brother." Alanna crawled from Hawke's lap to play with the boys.

Wren stopped, looking at Hawke for a moment. "Who said you were having a baby brother?" Alanna simply smiled and went to playing with her cousins and Hawke gave his sister a blank look when she glared at him. "Hawke?"

"I said nothing!" Not exactly, really.

Musashi offered a toy to AJ. "Do you really think you might get one?"

"I will. And his name is Felix because he is my friend."

"The little light?"

"Uh huh."

Both Musashi and Darwin looked at each other as Alanna joined them. Darwin looked to his human cousin. "Once you're a light, you don't go back."

"Sure you do. Poe says it happens all the time."

"I don't think so."

Alanna looked up, letting the toy still in her hand. "Daddy was a light and he's not anymore. We were all lights before now and it happens over and over again." Darwin still gave her a dubious look but Musashi shook his head. There was no reason to fight over something that happened. It was a fact even if Darwin wanted to disagree.

"What are we playing?" Ada asked as she toddled over having gotten bored over the 'grown up talk.'

"Stuff," Darwin responded. They didn't have any game going on and were just using their imaginations to pretend they were driving.

"Stuff's boring. Let's do something exciting."

Alanna looked up and caught the playful gleam in her cousin's eyes. They both grinned and responded at the same time. "Forts!"

That was always a fun game. The goal was to use as many interesting things as they could find in order to build the most impressive 'fort.' Then it was torn down as ammunition to take out the opposite team. Ada jumped first, grabbing her brother. "I got Darwin!"

"I got 'Sashi!" Alanna was gentler in taking her claimed 'partner' and took the opposite side of the room, the pair already working together on building their fort. Hawke and Wren merely kept a cursory eye on the kids as their conversation turned animate and shifted into Faunlyn. The benches in the pit were stripped of all soft things to use as building material and the tots even went so far as to collect bedding from various rooms to add to it. AJ and Musashi made a quick dart into Donnie's Lab, knowing where the spare infirmery bedding was from a previous episode of FORTS!

"Hi, Daddy!" AJ chirped as she darted in, heading for the extra blankets.

"Hey, kitten." Sean's voice was raspy, but it was clear. He paused from reading as he watched the two, smiling a bit more as Musashi paused, taking in a good look at the human who was finally awake. "What are you two doing?"

"Playing FORTS!," Musashi responded softly as AJ struggled with a blanket out the door.

"Sounds like a dangerous game."

"No. We build them with soft things." The little turtle kept watching Sean. "There's hair on your face."

"Yep. Humans can grow hair on their faces." Sean made a bit of a face, scratching at it. "It's itchy, though."

"Can I touch it?"

"Sure. Come on up." He pat the bedside and waited for the little turtle to climb up. The small three-fingered hand was gentle as he first pat at the hair, then pet it slightly. "Some men keep them and they're called beards and others cut it off."

"Uncle Hawke's face is smooth."

"If I remember right, Uncle Hawke doesn't grow face hair very well." Sean smirked, watching Musashi's face change between wonder and fascination as he explored. "I'm sure he shaves it off when he needs to. You're...Leo's and Raph's boy, right?"

The toddler made a quiet noise, nodding a bit. "I'm Musashi."

"I'm Mister Sean. Nice to meet you, Musashi." Sean held out his hand to shake and Musashi was confused about the gesture at first. Once they got it together, the little turtle relaxed, over doing shaking the man's hand. "Maybe one day I can be an uncle, too."

"You're AJ's dad, right?"

Sean wasn't certain how he should answer and then decided on simple truth. "Yes."

"Then you are."

"'SASHI! THEY'RE BEATING US!" AJ's calls were heard through the lair.

Sean's smile was wide in his beard as he reached behind him. "Have a pillow for the fort."

"Thanks." Musashi scrambled off the bed and took the pillow. As he clutched it to his plastron, he studied Sean for another minute. Then he bowed, speaking clearly to the floor at first. "Welcome home, Uncle Sean." As he straightened up, there was a ghost of a smile on his face before he was startled into action when he heard his cousin scream for him again.

Sean managed to dry his tears before Wren came back with his meal.

[aristastarfyr]

Discussion about future siblings was quelled for the moment as Hawke and Wren looked at the forts the children were making. It seemed as if all the clean bedding had been used for this and the kids were having a grand old time building their massive strongholds. Wren was taking pictures for the four, looking back to Hawke who was leaning forward, trying to figure out the purpose of the game.

"I do not understand. You build the dwellings and then break them?"

"We don't break them," Ada declared, adjusting a cushion so it was perfectly balanced. "We d-emo-lish-us them."

"Demolish," Darwin corrected, eyeing his sister. "It teaches teamwork, cooperation, and good sports."

"It's absolutely adorable," Wren muttered as she took as many angles as she could. "So who do you fight?"

Musashi shrugged. "We throw them at each other. Who should we throw the pillows at?"

That drew the devils out of the Starfyr siblings and they grinned at each other, already picking out an entertaining victim. "Michelangelo," they said at the same time. Mikey was the prankster king and it was only fair that he was on the tail end of a prank himself. Even Hawke and Wren were subject to his water balloons and buckets of whatever on the door frames. The kids were all for being a part of this and hid in their forts, trying their best to keep quiet about it.

"Mikey!" Wren called, "Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, dinner's done it just needs to rest a minute." Wiping his hands off a towel, "What's up, dudett--woah" His jaw dropped open as he looked at the two forts that faced each other. "Those are amazing! Did you two do them?"

His ears caught the soft whine of disappointment in one of the forts and he smirked, heading towards them. "Naw, it can't have been you two! I don't think you're that creative."

Hawke's face dropped. "What?" Wren was busy stifling her giggles, the camera trained on Mikey as he edged closer between the forts.

"Yep. I mean, do you even know what kind of fort this is, Hawke? Haven't you even heard of the fantabulous, liquid-atious protection from ice pirates fort of doom?"

"No."

"Well, you're looking right at it! And this one!" he gestured towards AJ's and Musashi's fort. "Oh, man, I know I've seen this one before. Give me a minute..." He, of course, in his musings stepped between the two forts.

"NOW!" Wren called out, eager to see the 'carnage.'

"BOOYAKASHA!" All four children bellowed the orange banded brother's battle cry and leaped out of their hiding spots, pummeling Mikey with the materials of their forts. And Mikey, in all good sportsmanship, took it like a turtle.

"Oh! OW! Hey-watchit!" He was the most flexible of the four turtles and took the moment to show off, twisting in mid air to avoid getting hit. When a cushion went to connect he grabbed it out of the air and tossed it aside with explosive sound effects. Hawke and Wren watched on in grinning wonder as Donnie leaned against the doorway to the kitchen area, smiling lightly. Even Raph and Leo were pulled from their own attentions to watch the display of acrobatics until all the ammunition was expended and Mikey chased all four to gather them up for 'Mikey nuzzles.' After happy squeals, they all nuzzled back, illiciting an 'awww' from everyone. "You little dudes are so awesome," he crooned, taking in the love for a moment. "Okay. Go get cleaned up for dinner, now."

As children scattered, both Hawke and Wren offered to help put the bedclothes away to speed up the process. In a few minutes Wren was back in the infirmiry with a tray and her phone. "Hey." She glanced up at Sean, noting the uneasy feeling in the air. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine." He sat up more, looking at the tray. "What was all the noise about?"

"We watched the kids try to defeat Mike in their fort game. I got video of it." She moved to side beside him, passing the tray over while she fiddled with her phone. "I noticed the kids got in here for building materials."

"AJ and Musashi." Sean slowly worked on his broth while Wren showed him the video, grinning as he watched the kids try and pummel Mikey. "Is he actually catching them and throwing them back?"

"Yup."

Sean gave a low whistle. "That's impressive. They call can do that?"

"Yes, but Mikey's the most flexible of them all." She set the phone down and sat back in her seat.

"Can they suck themselves into their shells?"

"When they were younger, yes. I've never seen Raph do it, though. I think with all the muscles, there just isn't enough room." Wren watched Sean for a moment. "I'll see if I can get a razor tomorrow, if you like."

The man beamed. "That. That would be heaven. So would be getting out of this bed, too. I might forget how to walk if I'm here for much longer."

"If you're anything like your wife," Donatello started that statement with a bit of hesitation as he walked in. "I'll kick you out as soon as I know you're not going to fall over in a faint." The sudden appearance of the turtle made both of the humans jump, Sean more so than Wren.

"Give me a heart attack and you won't have to worry about it!" He stared wide eyed at the turtle. "Give a guy some notice."

"Sorry. Ninja." The delivery was deadpan, but there was a glimmer of amusement in Donnie's eyes. "If everything checks out-and you don't mis-behave, I'll let you out into the lair for a little bit." All business again, he took his rolling stool and waited for Sean to finish his meal before doing a cursory examination. "The sooner you're ambulatory, the faster you'll recover."

"You mean the warden is going to let me out on parole for good behavior?" Sean smiled warmly when he caught the small frown from the turtle. "I really do appreciate all you've done for me, Donatello. I'm just getting a little stir-crazy."

"That's completely normal. And I get this behavior from my brothers constantly. It's not anything I'm unused to."

"Still. Thank you."

"Mmhmmm." Distracted by one of his experiments, he turned his attention to the swirling beaker as Wren shook her head, turning to Sean.

"You're probably the best patient he's had, Sean."

"What about you?"

Don chimed in. "I'd rather deal with Raph with a pulled hernia than with Wren."

"I was not that bad!"

A purple eye ridge arched up. "Six hundred thirty-four reasons state otherwise."

"I was unconscious for that part."

"You weren't while they were coming out." Donnie flashed a tooth-gapped grin.

"I almost wished I was at this point."

"Can't turn back the clock, Wren." Once again in a good mood, Don shifted over to Sean, working on pulling the IVs out of his hand and double checked his vitals. "All right, Sean. I think it's high time you got some walking around going on." Don was completely professional as he directed the weakened human the correct way to get out of bed without re-injuring himself. Wren went to get the fresh linens to change the bed as the turtle carefully navigated Sean out to the pit. "You're going to be tired right now so I don't want you out here for very long. Small frequent trips are the best way to build up your strength."

"Whatever you say, Doctor Don." Sean didn't like the way he was leaning so heavily on Donnie for support-or that Donnie carried that weight as if it wasn't there at all. For now he concentrated on shuffling one foot in front of the other.

"Once I'm assured you can function more or less independently without falling over and injuring more of your fragile liver, you can go home."

"Home?" He looked up as he slowly and uncomfortably settled onto the seat in the pit. "Don't you think they'd have declared me-uh-Sean-...well. Me dead...by now?"

"Oh, definitely. But since you're not that Sean, I'm not talking about whatever apartment he had here in New York." Donatello sighed a bit as he folded his arms over his plastron, knowing that everyone else was listening intently. "Your soul doesn't belong here: you should go back with Wren and Hawke."

"And me?"

"--And AJ," Donnie's expression softened as he nodded to the little girl. "I don't even want to know how or why this happened. I like my sanity. If you start saying there are Pheonixes flapping around in human form, I'm going to put you in a straight jacket," he turned to Wren whose smile lit up the whole room.

"Giant mutant turtles are enough for you, huh, Don?" She walked over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before going to sit beside Sean. "Thank you."

Donnie's leg almost gave out when AJ collided with it, clinging to the muscle and skin with all her might in the tightest hug she could offer. He offered an arm up so she could hug his neck properly, her whisper soft in his ear, but enough that the words made his face slacken in surprise. "You fixed my family. Thank you, Uncle Don." He hugged her all the tighter after that.