"We could totally take them," she said as she looked over at the other figure.

Her sister shrugged as she kicked her legs back and forth from where she was sitting on the rooftop ledge. They were watching a small robbery happen in the alley below; a trio of thieves was breaking into a Mom-and-Pop convenience store. The people who owned the store were nice folks who didn't deserve to be robbed.

"C'mon, Rina, let's go…"

"Okay, but Leo said not to fight too much tonight," Catarina said as she scrambled up from the wall. "He doesn't want one of us coming back with a broken arm or a busted face."

"Screw what Leo says," said Marietta as she reached back and tightened her bandanna. She tossed a grin at her sister, "We're on our own tonight, we could at least help out some friends."

Rina smirked back, "You don't even like fighting…"

Marie pulled a sai from her belt and twirled it on her fingers, "Yeah, but this is different. I like the Jacobsons."

"Well, then, let's go," said Rina, jumping over the side of the rooftop and onto the fire escape, Marie following right after her.

The two girls quickly made their way down to where the thugs were busy robbing the place that they liked to visit. Though, they'd never let the Jacobsons see them fully, they had carried on a conversation or two with them, unknown to their older brother. They were silent, as they used the shadows to their advantage, sneaking up on the trio.

"Hey, punks!" Marie snarled, doing her best impression of her brother in red. "Yah best scat on outta here, if yah wanna see daylight!"

The three punks looked around, quickly drawing their own weapons - a knife, a crowbar, and a pistol. "C'mon out where we c'n see yah!"

"Why? You afraid of the dark?" Rina teased. "Or are you just afraid of talking shadows?"

Marietta laughed at that. "Good one, Rina!"

"Well, I try," Catarina replied, secretly pulling some shurikens out into the palm of her hand. They weren't poisonous, but they sure would hurt when lodging into a body part of any kind.

"You afraid of a fair fight, girlie?" asked one of the robbers, his voice a hard sneer.

"Oh, you wish," laughed Rina, "I live in the dark." Rina gave a nod and four shuriken, two from herself and two from Marie, pinged off the wall behind the crooks.

"I think you should drop the bags, buddy," said Marie, twisting her sai around so the point was in the front. "My sis here ain't too good with waiting. Neither am I, for that matter." She stepped out of the shadows even after her sister shook her head. She smirked, loving the reaction of shock and horror that she got.

"What IS that?" the one with the leather jacket asked. The smallest of the punks moved back against the wall, his eyes widening at the sight of them.

"Oh, c'mon, not again!" he whined, tossing his bundle of goods down on the ground, "I got jumped by giant turtles last week!"

"Well, you just ran outta luck, didn't you?" Marie said, crouching down into a defensive position. "I'll give you ‘til the count of three to drop those bags." When the crooks remained frozen, she took a step towards them, "One…two…"

"Three," Rina said, leaping out of the shadows and aiming a kick at the chest of the tallest crook.

After her foot landed on his ribcage, she twisted her body and slammed her fist into his face. He went down to the ground quickly, crumbling like a wet paper sack. She was efficient and didn't like to drag out taking someone down.

"Dramatic effect, niiiice," said Marie as she elbowed the second punk in the stomach. A few more steps and a well-aimed punch in the side had him gasping for breath. "Nighty-night," she said, waving her hand in front of his face before hauling back and giving him a full-force punch right between the eyes.

Rina flicked her blue and white bandanna tails behind her back and grinned, "That was easier than I thought it'd be."

Marie nodded then pointed down the alleyway. The smallest punk was running away from the scene of the crime, his arms pumping as he huffed and puffed.

"We've got a runner," Marie said, looking back at Rina.

Her sister was already busy gathering up the money and bags and tying up the crooks. "You take him down. I'm not going to shoot him with my bow, if that's what you want," Rina said, sticking her tongue out at the distasteful idea.

Marie rolled her eyes, "Keep your shell on, Kitty."

"Doooon't call me that," Rina snapped, her eyes flashing at the old baby name.

Marie snickered as she pulled a manikiri chain from her belt and started swinging it over her head. "Hey, punk, you better keep running!" she shouted, walking towards the end of the alley, "I'm about to go Ghost Rider on your ass!"

Rina rolled her eyes as she walked into the store to put the money back. Sometimes she wondered if Marie was going to end up as just another Raphael; heavens knew they didn't need another hot-head in the family.

Marietta followed the guy, still swinging the manikiri above her head, before finally letting it swing out and quickly wrap about the thief's legs. She gave a hard yank and cheerful laugh, as he came crashing down to the ground with a loud "Oomph!"

"What's wrong? Turtle got yah legs?" She smirked, pulling him closer to her. Once he was close enough, she grabbed him by the front of his collar. "Guess I'd best say nighty-night to you too, huh?"

"N-No! Please!" The thug pleaded.

Marietta just rolled her eyes, before pressing a pressure point on his neck, knocking him out the easy way. She tossed him over to her sister to tie up. "Did he seriously think I wanted to bust my hand on his ugly mug? I mean, c'mon!"

"Well, I'm sure Leo'd be happy to know you used a pressure point, instead of a fist point," Rina commented, tying up the third thug.

"Eh," Marie shrugged. "Who says he hasta know? You know him - he don't want us out here fighting none, but Sensei says it's okay - long as we're careful and don't wander too far. Ha! Yeah, right!"

Catarina rolled her eyes at her sister, as they began to quickly climb back up the fire escape they'd come down. "If Sensei knew how much like Raph you are, he'd never let us leave the lair! More or less go on patrol!"

"Nothin' wrong with bein' like Raph," Marie argued. "He c'n be a fun guy, when he wants to be."

“Which is never!" Rina grinned.

"Ah, shaddup," Marietta replied, waving her hand at her sister, as she put her sai back in its sheath and her manikiri back in her belt. "Y'all don't know him like I do."

Catarina just laughed, as she ran across the rooftop and jumped over to the next one. "C'mon Mae-Mae! We'd best finish our patrol and get back, before Leo sends a search party!"

"Don't call me Mae-Mae!" Marie growled, quickly hurrying after her sister to catch up. "And let him send out that party! I'd like to see him try and get me home before I'm ready!"

After they had finished up their patrol, the two girls headed home over the roof tops, laughing and teasing each other as they went. Like usual, they had gone far outside of the boundaries that they were supposed to keep in. Their brothers would be getting in at about the same time that they were supposed to; these days Splinter didn't like for any of them to stay out too late. It was quite the extra workout as they bounded over the rooftops, leaping across and landing with precision on the other side of the gaps. When they came to the corner of Laird and Eastman, they dropped down to the ground and slipped down through the manhole cover to the sewers.

"We've got to look into better real estate," said Rina as she pulled the manhole cover back into position.

"Yeah, a nice condo on the beach would be perfect," said Marie, sighing at the thought of it.

"Oooh, and then I could finally learn how to surf, how perfect!" exclaimed Rina, clapping her hands together at the thought. She then noticed the time on her watch, and her mouth dropped open. "Shit, we're thirty minutes late!" she moaned, tossing a frown at Marie. "This is the third time this week we've been late."

"Grrreat," said Marie, throwing her hands up in the air. "There goes freedom! Goodbye sweet night air, I'll miss you while I'm grounded to the lair for, like, a month."

"Maybe we can slip in and they'll never notice we were late," suggested Rina, shrugging her shoulders a bit.

Marie gave her a droll look, "Oh, yeah, that'll work."

"If Leo wasn't a Time Nazi, it might," said Rina defensively, her hands on her belt.

"Did someone manage to hit you in the head tonight?" asked Marie, one eyebrow raised, "The day Leo and Sensei don't notice we came in late is the day the Irish give up drinking."

Rina grinned and they both laughed as they walked into the lair.

No sooner were they in the door, than was Leonardo at their side. "Just where have you two been!?!" He demanded, eyeing them both warily. "You're late!"

"We were enjoying the peaceful night air," Marietta shrugged. "Problem?"

"Yes, there is!" Leo replied briskly. "You have a curfew that shouldn’t have been broken!"

"Leo, relax, we're okay," Catarina pointed out softly, trying to keep the peace. "Besides, who says we weren't just roaming the sewers for the past thirty minutes?"

"Well, according to the trackers Donnie snuck onto your belts, you were way over on the other side of town!" Leonardo declared.

"What!?! How dare you track us!" Marietta shouted. "We’re not a couple of babies, Leonardo!"

"Don't take that tone with me, Marie! I can still take you down a peg or two," Leonardo snapped.

Marietta glared at him coldly, as did Catarina, until a throat was cleared, causing them all to look to their right.

"Catarina, Marietta, I would like to see you both in my study, in five minutes - and do not be late!" Master Splinter told them sternly, eyeing the two young girls harshly. "We have some matters we need to discuss."

"Yes, Sensei," Catarina replied, as her sister rolled her eyes in response.

"Yeah, whatever," Marietta shrugged indifferently, though she usually wasn't so rude to their father - but Leo had put her in a bad mood, and a bad mood put her in Raph mode, and Raph mode always got her in trouble.

Master Splinter ignored Marie's rudeness and retreated back into his study.

Marie gave an exaggerated huff and started to take off her belt. If Donnie had bugged her belt, she was going to find the tracker and crush it. It wasn't fair for them to treat her and Rina as if they were young children; heck, no one had tracked them when they stared crime-fighting.

Leo frowned at her, "I wouldn't do that if I was you."

"Why not? What're you gonna do, Leo, put me in time out?" She demanded as she found the tracker and plucked it off. She reached over and stuck it on Leo's hand. "There. You need it more than me, anyways, Fearless Leader."

"Marie…" he said warningly but she had already walked off, her chin thrust into the air. They could hear her crashing along the hall as she went to go throw her stuff in the room that she and Rina shared.

Leo sighed and looked over at Rina who was standing patiently nearby. "Why does she have to act like that?" he asked, sounding irritated.

Rina smiled at him, "It's really not all Raph in her, y'know."

"Oh, really? Cause that's all I see," muttered Leo, crossing his arms over his plastron.

Rina shook her head, "Nope, it's really a mixture of yourself and Raph when she gets like that. She's too proud to admit that she needs help…" Rina glanced over at Leo out of the corner of her eye, "That's the you part." Leo frowned at her and she continued, "And the anger comes from the Raph in her and they both don't like to be told what to do. There's also Mikey in her because of her goofy side, and a bit of Donnie in there because she's as smart as anything. Also, she just doesn't like not being trusted."

"It's for your own protection," said Leo, sounding exactly like the protective big brother he was.

Rina rolled her hazel eyes and patted him on the shoulder, "Leo, I love you, but you're going to have to accept that we're growing up. Just a little bit."

Leo's eye ridges raised playfully, "And this is coming from the girl who still watches Power Rangers when she thinks everyone's asleep?"

Rina gasped and socked him in the shoulder, "Leo! Don't you dare tell anyone!"

"I won't, I won't," he said, raising his hands in innocence. He nodded towards Master Splinter's office, "You better go on in, he won't like it if you're late."

"Meh, I've still got…" she looked down at her wristwatch, "Three minutes! Woo, enough time to make popcorn!" Giggling, she dashed off towards the kitchen, leaving Leo there to shake his head back and forth. If Marie was a strong mix of Raphael and himself, then Donnie and Mikey had rubbed off on Rina. She had Donnie's calming effect and reasoning capabilities and then Mikey's light-heartedness and jokester personality. From Raph, she had received passion for the downtrodden and Leo had managed to force her to be a little responsible.

Marietta slammed about in her room angrily. She couldn't believe her brothers had done that to them! Well, she could believe it, but still! They weren't babies any longer! They could defend themselves! And they were pretty dang good at it too! No where near as good as their brothers, but still good enough to be able to go out and patrol by themselves. But this - this was such a lack of distrust! This just proved to her that they still thought of her and her sister as little kids, and that ticked her off to no end! She angrily slammed her shurikens down upon her nightstand, carefully removing her sai next. She'd have to clean it up and polish it after this talking to with Splinter - there was just no way she could leave her most prized possession all bloodied and dirtied up like that! Who knew where that thug had been and what he had done and touched! She laid it upon the nightstand gently, then turned and angrily kicked a stuffed animal that happened to have fallen off her bed and onto the floor. She may've been fifteen, but she was still a stuffed animal fanatic - she could never have too many of those!

Meanwhile, Catarina was in the kitchen making her popcorn, as she'd plans to watch some T.V. before bed, after the lecture Master Splinter seemed to want to give. She could only imagine the bloodshed that would go on once in there, between him and her sister. Though, she didn't blame Marietta one bit for being mad, as she didn't like the lack of trust either - but, her logical side told her it had probably been done, as to see why they were constantly coming in late from patrol. She sighed, as she watched the popcorn kernels bounce about in the popcorn maker, before finally jumping out and into her over-sized popcorn bowl. She always loved to watch the popcorn pop! It was fun to watch and kind of funny at the same time - what could she say; sometimes it was the ever so small things that were ever so amusing. She glanced at her watch, and groaned softly as she realized her time was up.

"Hey Mikey!" She called out hoping her brother in orange was nearby.

"What?" Michaelangelo asked, sneaking up behind her and scaring her half to death.

"Gah!" Catarina shrieked, jumping, then swatting her brother a few times. "Watch my popcorn, will you? Marie and I have a 'date' with Sensei."

"Ah, so that's what's got Leo's panties all in a wad," Mikey smirked. "Sure thing, Kiddo."

“Eew! Mikey! Visuals!" Rina cried, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes. "I do not wanna ever know if Leo wears panties or not! Just - eew!"

Michaelangelo laughed and kissed her head affectionately. "Run along, Rina," he told her. "You don't want to be late for that 'date', now do you?"

"Would it be absolutely horrible, if I said yes?" Catarina asked sheepishly.

Mikey rolled his eyes and gave her a gentle shove. "Go on," he said. "The faster you get there, the faster it's over with and the faster you can eat this delicious looking popcorn!"

"Don't you dare eat it Mikey!" Rina exclaimed. "I'll kick your shell!"

Michaelangelo just laughed and gave her a wink.

Rina dashed out of the kitchen, nearly running into Marie who was walking in from the hallway. She had to twirl on her heel and skip a bit in order not to crash into her sister.

Marie laughed, "That was beautiful, Twinkle Toes."

"It was either that or I'd be the turtle bowling ball and you'd be the turtle pin. And I would so win," said Rina, a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Hey, don't get cocky," replied Marie before they walked into Master Splinter's study.

Like they were supposed to, both of them entered quietly, bowed, and kneeled down on the floor. Well, Rina kneeled; Marie plopped down with disrespectful nonchalance. Rina cut her eyes at her sister and Marie scowled back. She wasn't in any mood to suck up to Sensei; let Rina do that, she liked taking on the leader role anyways. Rina sighed and looked up at Master Splinter. She hated having to be in charge, but Marie was often too much of a loose cannon to take the lead. When they were out as a two-person team, it was silently assumed that Rina would give out the orders and make decisions, whether Marie followed them or not.

"My daughters," Master Splinter started, shaking his head back and forth slowly. "Do you know why I have called you in here?"

Rina and Marie cut their eyes at each other; maybe it was a trick question. Maybe they weren't supposed to answer? Rina did anyways, "We were late, Sensei."

"And…"

"And we went past our boundaries," she continued, hoping that was what he was looking for.

"And…"

"Erm, I didn't clean my kaiken properly last night?" She was a little confused now, not really knowing what he was talking about.

"I back-talked Leo," supplied Marie in a mutter.

Rina rolled her eyes; she should've guessed that one.

"Yes," Master Splinter said, folding his fingers together in front of him on the short table. "Three disobedient acts, three instances where you did not do what you were told. And that is only in one night. You have been late for curfew three times this one week and I know that you have not stayed within your boundaries." He sighed and rubbed his fingers against his temples. "If this sort of behavior continues, I'm going to have to split you up and put you back onto teams with you brothers again."

"No way!" Marie said, shaking her head and glaring, "I'm not going back to that!"

"Master," Rina said, bowing her head towards him, "Me and Marie work perfectly as a team. I mean, we work really well with our brothers too, but we're more likely to anticipate each other's moves than any of the guys'. We're better as a two-man team than on three-man teams."

"Yes, but in order to be a good team you must follow the rules of the clan," Master Splinter reminded them. "All good teams follow certain rules that have been set forth."

"Then make some new ones," Marietta muttered. "We could sure use some."

"Marietta!" Master Splinter snapped somewhat. "Do you figure yourself to be above the rest of our clan? You do not know all, my daughter. These rules are for your safety, and the clan's safety."

"Safety my shell!" Marietta retorted. "They're to keep Rina and I on a short leash! You just don't wanna admit we can handle things ourselves!"

"Marie!" Catarina hissed at her sister, wishing she'd shut-up and not get them both into hotter water than they were all ready in.

"Well, it's true Rina! They all just think we're a bunch of babies, when we're not! We're fifteen!" Marie exclaimed. "The guys were our age when they started patrolling and all that jazz! So why are we any different!?! What, because we're girls?!?! Big frigin' whoop!"

"Language!" Master Splinter snapped, giving his angry daughter a Look which told her she'd best not press her luck anymore than she'd already had.

Marietta growled deeply in her throat, glaring back angrily. It wasn't fair she couldn't even voice her own damned opinion!

"Forgive her, Master," Catarina begged of him. "She's never happy after a run in with Leo."

"That is no excuse," Master Splinter replied. "And no one is better than anyone else in this family. We are all of equal status, though I am your Father and Sensei."

"Tell Leo that," Marietta grumbled quietly.

Catarina shot her sister a Look, ordering her to shut-up. She then turned back to their Sensei, to hear him out.

"For your lateness this week, the both of you shall be restricted to the lair for the next three nights. You were late three nights, so it is only right you are grounded for three nights," Master Splinter stated.

"Yes, Sensei," Catarina replied, bowing some, though not happy at all with that result.

Marietta sat with her jaw hung open, an incredulous look on her face. "What!?! You've got to be kidding me!" She exclaimed. "We do a good job, and all because Leo's a time Nazi, we're grounded!?!?!"

"Enough!" Master Splinter ordered. "Marietta, you are to clean your weapons, then go to bed. You seem to need the extra rest - and the extra practice you will have early morning."

"This is crap!" Marietta yelled, jumping up and glaring at their father as angrily as she possibly could. "I am not going to bed after I've cleaned my weapons! I'm not a baby! I can decide for myself!"

"Marie...." Catarina tried.

"No, Rina! Save it!" Marietta snapped. "It's quite obvious what the whole family thinks of us, and I'm not going to stand for it!"

Marie was furious with her father and her older brothers, and she wasn't going let them make her be quiet. She puffed angrily and crossed her arms over her chest. It was the only way she was going to keep herself from reaching over and grabbing a paperweight to fling into the wall.

Rina was quite certain that her cheeks had flamed into her characteristic purple blush. She was highly embarrassed by Marie's behavior. How was anyone going to treat them like adults if Marie continued to throw rages like this one? Now they were definitely going to be stuck back onto three-man teams and it was going to be Marie's fault. Argh, why couldn't she hold her flaming tongue, just this once!? Rina clenched her fists as she felt herself growing angry. This was definitely not the time to snap at her sister. Instead, she sat quietly and focused her eyes on the wood coffee table.

Master Splinter did not seem pleased with Marie's outburst at all. His dark eyes were narrowed in anger, and his fur was bristling on the back of his neck. "Marietta, this sort of tantrum shall not be tolerated. I will have to increase your punishment. Instead of three days, you are grounded for the rest of the week with increased practice. Catarina," he said, turning his head towards the blue and white bandanna'd turtle, "You shall share this punishment."

"What?!" Rina demanded, her mouth dropping open.

Splinter nodded and continued, "In addition to the extra practice, I am splitting the two of you and placing you on three-man teams again. Marietta, you shall team with Leonardo and Michelangelo. Catarina, you will patrol with Raphael and Donatello."

"No! I won't team with Leo!" shouted Marie, shaking her head back and forth furiously, "All he's going to do is ride my ass and yell orders at me."

"Responsibility is what you need to learn and Leonardo will be an adequate teacher," said Master Splinter in a grave voice. "Until you can prove to me that you can be responsible and trustworthy, you shall remain on these teams."

"Sensei, that's not fair!" Rina exclaimed, staring at her teacher.

Splinter bowed his head and sighed. "Meditate. You shall see why things must be this way," he said. "You may both go now."

Marie stormed out of the room like a small hurricane while Rina got up, managed a jerky bow and left in a quieter fashion. When they were out of the room, Marie let out an angry shout, "Damn!" She punched at the wall and immediately regretted the action as her knuckles connected with the hard brick. Rina watched as Marie shook her hand and mumbled curses to herself.

"Can you believe that, Rina?" Marie asked, obviously thinking her sister was going to side with her.

Rina only glared back at her with cold anger.

"Aw, c'mon, Rini, you can't be mad at me. I didn't know you were gonna get the same punishment as me."

Rina's hands tensed and clenched, and she ground her teeth together. Unlike Marie or Raph, she rarely shouted her anger or threw stuff around. Instead, she fumed to herself and waited until she was angry enough to explode. Right now, she was frustrated to the point of tears. She couldn't go against Master Splinter and refuse the punishment, and she definitely didn't want to have it out with Marie right now while the other turtle girl was in a bad mood. Instead, she shoved past her sister and snarled, "Thanks, Marie, thanks a lot."

"Don't you dare blame me, Rina!" Marie shouted as Rina stormed off down the hallway towards the dojo.

Rina didn't reply and that only angered Marie more.

"Ugh, it's not my fault!" she shouted towards the ceiling as she walked into the living room. She flopped backwards onto the couch and saw a dark green leg.

"When is it ever your fault?" asked Raphael as he tossed a piece of popcorn at her. He had stolen the bowl from Mikey even after Mikey had insisted that it was Rina's popcorn.

The piece poinged off her nose and she scowled at him. "Some things are my fault. But this isn't," she said, grabbing the piece of popcorn and throwing it back at him.

"Didja find the trackers?" He asked with a smirk.

Marie let out a growl, "Yeah…"

"Hey, don't let Sensei and Leo get you down," Mikey put in from where he was sitting on the edge of the couch, almost totally engrossed in the game he was playing.

Marie flopped over onto her shell and leaned her head against Raph's leg. "I'm not down, I'm frigin' MAD," she snapped, "Sensei made Rina mad at me. Why do I always have to be the bad guy?"

"I thought that was Raph's job," laughed Mikey. A pillow from the turtle in red caught him upside the head.

Rina stood in the middle of the dojo, her bow clasped in her hand. It was a perfectly balanced weapon with leather binding for the grip and highly-polished yew for the wood. It was her favorite weapon, and she slowly over the years was becoming a master at it. Of course, for close combat she used her kaiken, but the bow and arrow was her one great love. It was also her favorite form of stress relief. She sighed as an arrow thwapped into the straw-stuffed dummy's abdomen. She was so irritated at Marie and herself; she knew better than to go out so far from their boundaries. Reaching into her quiver, she pulled on a blue and white fletched arrow and knocked it onto the string. Using her excess anger, she hauled back on the string and then let the arrow fly. It struck the dummy right in the side of the head, ripping the cloth and causing most of the head straw stuffing to leak out.

"Hmm, I'll guess I'll be fixing that some time this week," said a voice wryly.

Rina turned to see Donatello in the doorway, a smirk on his face. She sighed and lowered her bow from the ready position. "Sorry, Donnie," she sighed, pushing some of her blonde hair back from her face. "I sorta got carried away."

"Pretty much the same way Marie did with Splinter, right?" Donatello smirked slightly. He wasn't stupid - they'd all heard her shouting from inside of Master Splinter's study - they had even expected it.

"This isn't going to get me in trouble," Catarina snapped slightly, giving him an apologetic look afterwards. "Sorry, Donnie. I'm just so - so frustrated! With Leo, with Sensei, with Marie! Just - everybody!"

"Well, that wasn't everybody you listed," Donatello pointed out. "You're annoyed with everyone but Mikey, Raph, and myself."

Catarina shrugged, as she went over to the dummy to fetch her arrow that had split the dummy's head. "Actually, I am annoyed with you. You're the one who made the trackers and put them on our belts in the first place!" Catarina reminded him angrily.

"Hey, I was only following orders," Donatello replied, holding his hands up in defense. "Besides, a brother is allowed to worry."

"You're over-protective, that's what you are," Rina told him flatly. "You guys just don't want us to grow up. Well, face the facts - we're fifteen! Not five! Don't let Marie's tantrums fool you, Donnie. You're supposed to be the bright one!"

Donatello looked slightly offended. "Well, if you'd rather we not worry about you, then why don't you both start following the rules, so that we can take a break from it!" He stated. "We love you and just want to protect you - even if you can protect yourselves pretty well." With that, he turned and left the dojo.

Catarina sighed heavily. Great, she'd angered Donatello - the soft-spoken, easy-going brother. Could this night get any worse? Suddenly, a sharp voice came from the den.

"Marie! You were told to go to bed!" Leonardo barked, having had noticed the girl lying on the couch between Raphael and Michaelangelo.

"Who says this ain't it, huh?" Marietta snapped somewhat, becoming annoyed once more.

"When are you going to grow up?!?" Leonardo demanded.

"The day you quit being such an ass, Leo," Marietta replied sweetly.

Leonardo was becoming quite angry and fed-up with his sister's sarcastic remarks and attitude. He advanced towards her glowering, after realizing she didn't plan getting up off the couch anytime soon. Leonardo shook his head, "You know, whatever. I don't even care anymore. Stay up as late as you want, eat as much candy as you want, do whatever you want! I'm going to bed." He started down the hallway that led to his bedroom.

"Wuss!" Marie shouted after him. She grinned at Raphael, obviously expecting praise. Instead, her brother was frowning down at her.

"That was a smooth move," he grumbled as he stood up from the couch.

"Hey, you know he is!"

Raphael pointed a finger at her and she leaned away from him, "You listen and you listen good. Leo may be a Teacher's Pet and a pain in the ass, but he is anything but a wuss. If I ever hear you call him that again, don't be shocked if my fist finds your face." Raphael then stalked off down the hallway.

The night was just getting worse and worse. Marie looked back at Mikey, "What, you gonna leave me too?"

Mikey smiled at her and took her by the arm. He pulled her into a tight hug, "Nah, kiddo. You may have the biggest mouth in the world, but I still love yah tons."

Marie smiled and snuggled down into Mikey's hug. At least one family member still loved her.

After everyone had supposedly gone to bed, Donatello heard a gentle knock on his door. He had been reading instead of sleeping; Huckleberry Finn was an amazing novel.

"Come in, Rina," he said and the door opened to reveal a sheepish looking turtle girl.

"Hey Donnie," she said, stepping into his room. She nudged the floor with her toe and looked around at the gadgets and gizmos that lined the room. "Um, whatcha doing?" she asked.

"Well, I was reading," he said as he closed the cover. "Did you want to talk about something or where you just curious about what I was doing at 2 in the morning?"

"I'm sooorry," she said remorsefully as she sat down on the floor next to his bed. She leaned her head against his mattress and sighed, "I didn't mean to snap at you, I really didn't." She looked up at Donnie with plaintive hazel eyes, "I know you guys are worried about us. We worry about you too, a lot. We just thought we had finally gained a little trust for once."

Donatello sighed and pulled her up onto the bed beside him. "Just because we bugged your belts doesn't mean we don't trust you. It'd be nice if you made more of an effort to come back on time, though." He grinned at her, "Even if it means just running extra hard in order to make curfew."

Rina laughed and then put her forehead against his shoulder.

Donatello smiled some and rubbed her shell as they sat there on his bed together. "You know Rina, nobody except maybe Sensei is mad that you two went out of boundaries. You’re young, it's to be expected. It's mostly the curfew thing that's upset just about all of us. Like I said, all you have to do is run a bit faster, and maybe people would let up. Either that, or not go so far."

"But we like it over there," Catarina told him. "There are good people in the area we like to patrol."

"I'm not going to even ask how you know they're good," Donatello began. "But when you're late, it makes us worry because we don't know if you've run into serious trouble or if you're just goofing off."

"We're not trying to scare you guys any," Catarina replied. "We're just trying to do our part and patrol as best we can."

"I know, Honey," Donatello assured her, kissing the top of her head.

Catarina enjoyed his embrace and the circles he was rubbing on her shell for a few minutes more, before finally getting up and stretching. "Well, guess I'd best head to bed if I've got extra practice," she groaned. "Though I still say only Marie deserves that one...."

Donatello laughed softly. "You would say that," he commented. "And she'd say you deserved it for some reason or another."

Catarina nodded her agreement, kissed his cheek, then headed off to bed.

Meanwhile, Marietta was still up watching television, though she'd it turned way down in hopes of Master Splinter not catching her. She was being defiant, she knew that - but Raphael's harsh words towards her earlier, still plagued her thoughts relentlessly. She'd honestly thought he was going to strike her, after she'd realized he wasn't proud of her telling Leonardo he was a wuss. But he was, wasn't he? Okay, so what if he put his butt on the line for the rest of the clan all the time - he was still a big ole jerk! And she wasn't afraid to tell him that, nor was she going to back down when it came to him. Now, Raphael on the other hand.....She'd back down in a heartbeat, if he appeared as frightening as he had earlier. She idolized him and only really cared to make him proud, but if he wasn't proud, then she had to have failed somewhere along the line - and that just made her feel like the biggest piece of crap ever. But she would not apologize to Leonardo! Not ever! Whether it made her brother in red proud or not, she refused to do it! She sighed heavily, flicking through the channels in attempts of finding something good to watch. Her shoulder-length brown hair with natural red highlights fell into her face, as her green eyes glossed over - from tears and tiredness, though she was attempting to fight it. She was in no mood to sleep - or watch television really, but what other choice did she have? She stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes, wondering if maybe a walk would do her some good. In the end, she decided that a walk would probably just get her in more trouble and she didn't feel like piling up any more punishment on top of extra practice, three-man teams, and being grounded. Instead, she put in Kingdom Hearts and played that until she finally fell asleep, one arm hanging over the couch with the controller still in her hand.

Leo, first to wake up as usual, found her that way in the morning. He sighed and rubbed his hand across his eyes as he turned off the game console and flipped the TV to the news. The change of sounds didn't wake Marie up; the girl could sleep like a rock. He nudged her in the foot and she cracked open one eye.

Upon seeing him, Marie let out an annoyed grumble and flipped over onto her plastron. "Marie, get up," he said.

"Suck it…" Marie muttered into the couch cushions as she flung her arms over her head.

Leo rolled his eyes; he didn't feel like dealing with her attitude anyways. He walked on into the kitchen to make his ritual morning cup of coffee.

Mikey, amazingly, was the next one to come into the living room. "Good morning world!" he exclaimed, flinging his arms out to the lair.

"You know, Mikey, the world's never going to answer you back," said Donnie as he followed Mikey.

Mikey tossed him a grin, "I know, but I can dream big, right?"

"Suuure," said Donnie, shrugging his shoulders. He noticed Marie on the couch, "Hey, Marie, wanna wake up?"

"Wanna fat lip?" snapped Marie as she grabbed a pillow and pulled it over her head.

"Touché," Donnie said with a smile as he walked into the kitchen. It'd be Cheerios and fresh strawberries for him. Mikey was already reheating a pizza from a couple nights ago. Rina, shoving her messy morning hair out of her face, walked into the kitchen after Donnie.

"Morning," she said as she dived into the freezer.

"Cookie dough is not anywhere near healthy breakfast food," Leonardo said, knowing exactly what she was getting.

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully as she pulled a rather large roll of chocolate chip cookie dough from the freezer. "Ah, but a ninja needs sugar! It gets the blood pumping."

"More like the exact opposite," put in Donnie.

"I think cookie dough is a perfectly good breakfast!" Mikey said, waving his pizza in the air.

"Yeah, see, Mikey agrees with me," Rina said as she went scrambling around in the drawers for a knife.

"If the consumption of sugar is involved, Mikey's going to agree no matter what," said Donatello, glancing over at Mikey who was arranging gummy bears on his slice of pizza.

"Heck yeah!" said Mikey, grinning broadly. "Sugar equals good, nasty bran oatmeal yucktastic cereal equals bad."

Donatello shook his head as he poured himself a bowl of Cheerios and placed some fresh strawberries on it, before pouring the milk. He grabbed a spoon and sat down to eat, enjoying his healthy breakfast. "You know," he began, "too much sugar isn't good for you."

Michaelangelo and Catarina both gasped playfully. "Nooooo! Say it isn't so!" They wailed in unison, giggling moments later after getting up off the floor they'd both fallen too during their over-dramatic act.

Leonardo rolled his eyes at the two of them. "I think that just proved Donnie's point. It's rotted your brains out."

"Eew!" Catarina shrieked jokingly, digging her spoon deeper into her beloved cookie dough. "That's gross!"

"Hey, where's Marie?" Mikey asked, having had not noticed her on the couch. "Shouldn't she be up by now?"

"She's on the couch," Leonardo replied. "And she can wake herself up."

Michaelangelo shook his head. "Now you're being just as stubborn as she is."

"I told him they were alike," Catarina piped up, spooning her tasty treat into her mouth. "But of course, they don't listen to me."

"Yeah, well, I swear she's worse than Raph!" Leonardo exclaimed, before taking a much needed sip of coffee.

"Is that even possible?" Mikey joked.

"You didn't see her with Sensei yesterday," Rina muttered softly. "I thought she was gonna start throwing shuriken at somebody."

"Well, she'd better watch her temper," Leonardo stated. "As she's teamed with me, and I won't stand for it."

"As if we didn't all ready know that, Leo," Donatello replied, drinking the leftover milk in his bowl. They continued to talk amongst themselves as they ate their breakfasts.

In the mean time, Raphael had awoken and discovered Marie asleep on the couch. He knew just by looking at her, that someone had already attempted to wake her; otherwise her pillow wouldn't have been placed over her head in protest. Raphael smirked as he walked over to the couch. Reaching down, he plucked the pillow off Marie's head and began to smack her with it. "Get up!" he shouted, pounding her on the shell and head.

Marie sat up with a yell and tried to ward off the attack, "Raph! Raph, stoooop!" She rolled off the side of the couch and landed on the floor.

Raph hauled back and flung the pillow at her before letting out a snorting laugh, "And that's how you wake 'er up."

Marietta got up and leapt at him but he had already moved away and into the kitchen.

He nodded to the others as he sat down at the table and grabbed the milk. He chugged it straight from the jug before turning to look at Mikey, "Hey, grab me a bowl, would you?"

"Yes, Master Raphael, of course," teased Michelangelo as he went over to the cupboard to get a bowl.

"Morning, Raph," Rina said as she sat down at the table across from him. He looked up at her and grunted something that sounded like a good morning. She grinned; he never was a morning person.

Marie ran into the kitchen a few seconds later, her brown hair tousled. She was gripping a pillow and looked quite frenzied. "Raph, I am going to kill you!" she shouted, waving the pillow threateningly.

"Not in the kitchen," Leo said but Marie ignored him as she swung the pillow at Raph's head.

The turtle in red reached up and caught it as it headed towards him, yanked it out of her hand and flung it back into the living room. "Breakfast," he muttered.

"Bastard," she snapped at him as she walked over to the cupboards. She got her favorite cereal and a bowl and headed back over to the table. She sat down beside Rina who flashed her a frown. "You're not still angry at me, are yah?" Marie grumbled.

Rina replied by getting up, tossing her spoon in the sink, putting her cookie dough in the freezer, and leaving the kitchen.

Marie was getting tired of this non-confrontational form of fighting.

“You know, you owe her an apology,” Leonardo stated after a moment of silence.

“An apology?” Marie repeated. “What for? How was I to know I’d get her in more trouble? That was Sensei’s doing!”

“Yes, well, you ought to know better than to mouth off to Master Splinter,” Leonardo replied.

“Well, excuse me for not being like you!” Marietta snapped. “Not everyone can kiss his feet twenty-four/seven!”

Leonardo cast her an angry glare. “This attitude of yours isn’t cute anymore, Marie,” he told her flatly. “It hasn’t been cute since you were about four-years-old!”

“Who says I’m trying to be cute, Leo?” Marietta snapped, digging her spoon into her beloved Frosted Flakes. “Ever stop to think maybe y’all can’t handle it, ‘cause I’m telling you the truth?”

Leonardo’s look darkened some. “You ever stop to think maybe you don’t get treated like the age you are, because all you do is throw fits when you don’t get your own way?”

“Screw you, Leo!” Marie growled, angrily stuffing a spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

Leonardo shook his head, as he placed his cup in the sink, then left the kitchen all together.

“He’s a point, you know,” Donatello piped up finally. “The more you mouth off, the longer you’ll be grounded and stuck on three man teams.”

Marietta just glared at her brother in purple, in no mood to be told such things. It was way too early, and already Leonardo had gotten on her last nerve.

After leaving the kitchen, Leonardo headed for the bathroom to do his business, only to glance into the girls’ room that they still shared, spotting Catarina sitting on her bed looking a little sullen. He glanced around, then decided to play good big brother – least he could be that for one of them.

“Rina?” He spoke, as he entered the room after knocking on the open door to get her attention.

Catarina glanced upwards, and heaved a sigh. “What do you want, Leo?”

“Just wanted to check on my sister,” Leonardo replied. “You okay?”

“Do I have any choice but to be, Leo?” Catarina snapped slightly. “I mean, every time Marie throws a fit, we both end up in trouble for it! If she had’ve just kept her big ole mouth shut, we could’ve still been out patrolling together once our grounding was up! But can she do that just once? No! She just has to get all in Sensei’ face about everything and make us both look like little kids!”

Leonardo sat next to her. “Rina, you don’t always get punished for Marie’s actions. It’s just, times like now, Master Splinter has to find a way to make her wake up and see the consequences of her actions more clearly, and if you have to be part of it, then he’s no choice but to do it. If Marie keeps going off like she does, without controlling it, who knows what sort of trouble she’ll get into while out on patrol.”

“So basically, I’m her keeper,” Rina grumbled. “I love her Leo, I do. But she gets on my nerves when she ends up getting me in trouble because she has problems with keeping her mouth shut!”

Leonardo draped his arm around her shoulder. “I’ve no doubt you love her, Rina. We all do. She refuses to see that some of us do, so she insists on rebelling more than necessary. In her own way, she’s still trying to get attention – but she’s getting the wrong kind of attention, so that just angers her even more.”

Catarina looked up at him, a little surprised. “If you seem to understand her so well, why do you two fight all the time?”

Leonardo chuckled. “Because she’s like Raph. We butt heads because she’s hot-headed like him, and also because, as you said yesterday, she’s stubborn like me as well.”

Catarina shook her head. “Well, it still doesn’t make it right.”

"No, it doesn't," said Leo as he stood up, "But just because it's unfair doesn't mean that anything's going to change about the punishment."

"True," Rina sighed then she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, "Hey, Leo? You know what great revelation I remembered that I had yesterday?"

"What?" he asked, glancing down at her, expecting her to reveal some new insight about their family. She was always analyzing her siblings and the situations they got into; as much as she goofed off, it was amazing the things she noticed.

Suddenly she jumped up from the bed and took off down the hall and shouted back, "I'm faster than you!"

Leonardo shook his head before chasing after her as she raced towards the dojo. When they got there, the other four were already on the mats. Mikey and Raph were sort of sparring but neither of them was really into it at the moment. Rina dashed around their match and spun around to sit down on the mat.

"Beat yah," she said, smirking smugly at Leo.

"By cheating," he said as he crossed his arms and watched Mikey and Raph fight.

"Still beat yah," said Rina.

Catarina was busy trying to perfect her flying roundhouse kick, as she was having problems with it - she kept falling over. But, she was determined to get it right - though wishing they'd learned this move when they were younger, as they'd had more fun jumping around then. She jumped up, kicked and attempted to spin all at once, only to fall down upon her mat once more.

"This is nuts!" She grumbled to herself. She paused a moment, to watch her sister attempt the kick and was surprised when she actually made it three quarters of the way there.

Marie felt someone watching her and glanced over at her sister, smirking. She'd actually practiced the move some while out on patrol the night before, though they weren't to use any new moves on patrol until they'd been perfected - but she was so busy being defiant, how else was she going to get any practice in? There was no way she'd hang out in the dojo any longer than she had too - so, she always made sure to practice elsewhere, occasionally.

Catarina rolled her eyes, and resumed practicing the kick for herself. She'd just finally gotten the hang of it, when Master Splinter decided it was time for weapons katas. She gladly pulled her kaiken out and bowed, before beginning her kata. While doing her kata, she couldn't help but notice that her sister seemed a bit hesitant to retrieve her sai - and when she finally did, she suddenly for the first time ever, moved with lightning speed. What in the world was going on? Her sister never moved that fast! Ever! Not unless she was trying to beat the crap out of someone. She paused her kata, though she knew she wasn't supposed too, to eye her sister suspiciously. She also noted that the others had stopped what they were doing as well.

Marietta felt all eyes on her, and hoped to God no one noticed the blood stains still on her sai. She did not want to end up doing ten flips, all because she'd foolishly forgotten to clean them. She moved just a little bit faster, slightly in a panic, quickly jarring her sai into their sheaths and bowing once her kata had been completed.

Rina put a hand to her mouth to smother a giggle as Marie came to a stop. Her sister looked a bit out of sorts after that exposé of speed; her bandanna was awry and her hair was all in her face.

"Woo, energizer bunny meets ninja girl!" Mikey shouted, twirling a nunchuck over his head.

Marie blushed and nodded at him, "Um, I just wanted to see what it was like to do it fast."

Master Splinter smiled, glad that his daughter had finally put forth a good effort. "That was very good, Marietta, better than your usual kata," he praised.

Marie grinned, happy to get away with her forgetfulness. She noticed Raphael smirking at her, and she knew that he had seen the dirty sai. Oh well, if anyone noticed it, it might as well be him.

As normal practice time wound down, the boys left since they were not having to do extra practice.

"Have fun, troublemakers!" Mikey yelled as he walked out the door.

"Stuff it, Mikey!" the two girls yelled in unison.

Marie gave Rina a tentative smile and she was pleased when Rina returned it. Well, at least Rina wasn't going to be angry with her for forever.

Sensei gave them orders to practice their small-weapons aim and left as well.

Marie pulled out a handful of shuriken and set up a throwing area of her own while Rina pulled the two senbon needles out of her bandanna. They both chose a dummy and started flinging small, pointed objects at it.

"You know, this is stereotypical ninja stuff," mused Rina as her senbon pierced the dummy's stomach.

A couple of shuriken buried themselves in the dummy's torso and Marie smirked, "Yeah, maybe just a bit."

"No, really, we couldn't get any more B-grade ninja movie than throwing shuriken and senbon," said Rina as she sat down on the floor and tossed the second senbon at the dummy. It struck it in the groin area.

"Hey, that's not proper technique," Marie teased, and Rina stuck her tongue out at her sister before flopping down on her stomach.

"I'm injured," she said, creating a scenario in her head. "Yep, I'm injured and this is the only defense I have. Stereotypical senbon and shuriken!"

Marie laughed and sent another trio of shuriken into a dummy.

The two girls continued to joke around and goof off a little bit, as they did their extra practice. So far, extra practice didn't seem to be so bad - it was more fun than it was punishment, and it gave them time to bond and just be by themselves. Eventually though, it ended and they both left the dojo, half sad it had ended, but also half glad it was, so that they could do other things.

Marietta immediately ran to her room, to polish her sai in private in hopes of not having anyone else notice her mistake.

Catarina on the other hand, decided she'd best attempt another bowl of popcorn and hopefully get to it before Raphael did. She set everything up and happily watched the popcorn pop once more.

"Trying again, are we?" Michaelangelo teased coming into the kitchen with an empty glass.

Catarina nodded. "I wouldn't have too, if someone had protected the other bowl better."

"Well, it's not my fault Raph didn't believe me," Mikey laughed. "You know how he is."

"Yeah, the same way Marie is," Rina smirked. "Hard-headed."

Mikey tweaked her bandanna tails, and smiled at her as he re-filled his glass with water. "So how was extra practice?"

Catarina smiled slyly. "Not bad.....Not bad at all."

Mikey raised an eye ridge. "And this coming from someone who was totally peeved about them last night?"

"Yeah, well, things change, you know," Catarina replied. "I'm not so mad at Marie anymore - for now."

"Oh yes, for now," Mikey nodded smiling. "I knew it wouldn't last long."

"Well, she's my sister - and partner in crime," Rina argued slightly. "Somebody hasta stay on her side for a while."

"Who says I ever left?" Mikey smirked, causing Catarina to laugh.

"You'll side with anybody, so long as it keep them happy."

"Maybe.....maybe not," Michaelangelo winked.

Meanwhile, Marie was polishing her sai until they shined like never before. She couldn't believe she had been so foolish - and had actually gotten away with it!

"You're lucky no one else noticed," a voice spoke then, startling her. "You would've been in deep shit then."

Marie gave a sigh of relief, realizing it was her brother in red. She went on polishing her prized weapons. "Yeah, well, if I hadn't been too peeved last night, maybe I would've remembered to clean them," she replied, finishing up the one and setting it aside, as she started in on the second.

Raphael picked up the discarded sai and maneuvered it around in his hand. He had given this to Marie when she was nine and had decided that the sai was the weapon for her. It had been his when he was younger; his sai nowadays were longer and heavier. It was a good size for her though, and whether he told her or not, he was proud that she had chosen the sai. He half-hoped that she wouldn't turn out exactly the way he was; he wanted her to question the conventional, but he didn't want her doing the stupid dangerous stuff he did. That was why he was hard on her sometimes when she was acting too much like himself.

"Yah know, you're actually getting pretty good with these, squirt," he said as he tossed the sai back onto the bed stand.

"Really?" Marie exclaimed, glad to receive praise from him. "I've been practicing hard; I wanna get really good with 'em."

"Not as good as me, though," Raphael said, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms over his plastron.

"One day!" said Marie, grinning at him excitedly, "I am gonna be as good as you one day."

"You wish," he said, pushing away from the wall. "Don't treat your sai like crap," he advised, "Since they’re what's going to keep you alive in the end."

"I know," Marie said, rolling her eyes, "I just forgot last night."

Rina walked into the living room with her bowl of popcorn and sat down in the arm chair. She curled up protectively around the bowl, determined to deter her siblings from stealing it. As a precaution, she looked around and yelled, "Anyone that touches my popcorn besides me loses a finger! My kaiken makes no exceptions!"

"Going for the Code of Hammurabi?" asked Donatello with a grin. He was sitting on the couch, watching Mythbusters.

Rina smirked and nodded, "If that's what it takes. Want some?"

Donnie wrinkled her nose at her double-standard but nodded. She leapt off the arm chair and landed on the couch beside him. As he reached for the popcorn, she stared at him with wide hazel eyes. "What?" he asked, his hand hovering over the bowl.

"Dude, I just said you'd lose a finger. Didn't you hear me?"

"But you just said…" he exclaimed, one eye ridge raised. He then laughed and held out a hand. "Rina, could you hand me some popcorn?"

"Of course!" she said, pulling out a handful and giving it to him.

“Why, thank-you,” Donatello said, accepting the handful of popcorn, shaking his head at his sister. Catarina sure could be silly at times – especially when it came to her beloved popcorn.

“So what’s happening on Mythbusters?” Catarina asked curiously, stuffing some popcorn into her mouth.

“They’re trying to prove whether or not Big Foot is real,” Donatello answered.

“Isn’t that kinda like trying to prove whether or not teenage mutant ninja turtles exist?” Catarina queried, her eyes lighting up in a teasing tone.

Donatello tweaked her bandana tails in response. “In a way, yes, silly,” he replied. “But at the same time, no; they believe Big Foot to be just a legend. Mutant turtles, well, they’ve never even heard of.”

“Didn’t you guys meet Big Foot though?” Rina questioned him, her eyes now on her brother instead of the show.

“We met something that could’ve very well been Big Foot,” Donatello nodded. “But, she prefers to not be told she’s big feet.”

Catarina giggled. “Are you just making this up?”

“Maybe…..maybe not,” Donatello said, smiling as he turned back to his show.

Catarina shook her head. Who knew if Donnie was telling the truth or not – sometimes they did meet up with other weird creatures, that were mutants like themselves – but sometimes, her brothers did like to tell tall tales just to try and impress them or make them laugh.

Donatello smiled more, as his sister snuggled into him, making sure his arm draped over her shoulders. It didn’t matter how old the girls were, they still liked to snuggle – and they probably always would.

“You think they’ll ever try to prove if we’re real or not?” Rina asked on the next commercial break.

Donatello shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. I’d hope not, as then we’d have all sorts of intruders down here trying to find us – and people could end up seriously hurt, if they don’t know their way around the sewers. Besides, we’re trained ninja and know how to stay hidden well enough to hopefully avoid having that happen anytime soon.” He eyed Catarina warily. “At least, I hope we know well enough to stay hidden and avoid having that happen.”

“We’re careful, don’t worry,” Catarina assured him with a smile. “We know how to use stealth and shadows to our advantage.”

“Let’s just keep it that way, okay?” Donatello told her. “Marie finds out she has a chance to be on T.V. and who knows what she’ll do to get that kind of attention.”

“Well, she can be a very good actress,” Catarina reminded him. “She’s been able to fake sick quite a bit, without anybody – not even you – catching on.”

“She does that a little too well, if you ask me,” Donatello commented, as the show resumed.

Raphael still stood watching his sister clean her sai; she seemed to be taking her sweet old time with the second one for some reason unknown to him.

“Do you favour this one more than the other?” He asked finally. “You’ve been cleaning it quite a bit more than the first.”

Marietta shrugged. “This one just seems to need more cleaning, is all,” she replied. “And I don’t have favourites – the other would get jealous.”

Raphael snorted – she could sure have an odd sense of humor at times. “Did you at least clean your shuriken?”

Marietta looked a bit sheepish. “No. They’re next,” she answered, setting the sai she’d been cleaning down next to its twin. She pulled her shuriken out and began to clean them carefully. “I said I was too peeved to remember anything last night.”

“You better watch Sensei doesn’t catch on,” Raphael stated. “He does, and you just may end up losing them for a while.”

“I’d like to see him try,” Marietta muttered, as she polished a shuriken.

Raphael eyed her for a moment. “You ought to give Splinter a bit of a break,” he said finally. “He cares more than you think, and is only trying to do what’s best. He doesn’t want to see you hurt, over something foolish. Especially not something that could’ve been easily avoided.”

“Fine, Leo,” Marie remarked. “Maybe when he realizes I’m not five anymore and gives me a break, I’ll give him a break.”

Raphael was by her in an instant, grabbing her shurikens and tossing them aside onto her bed. He towered over her, as she looked up, and he leaned down right in her face, a stubby finger jabbed in front of her nose.

“Listen here, you ungrateful little runt,” he snarled. “Master Splinter gives breaks to those who’ve earned them! You keep being a disrespectful little imp, and you’re never gonna deserve one! Maybe you ought to count all the good things, and be grateful for what you already have!”

Marietta stared up at her brother wide-eyed and a little scared. This was twice in less than twenty-four hours that he’d gotten mad at her and jabbed his finger in her face – this had to be a new record for her. Usually, she’d get him mad one day and then again a couple days later – but never twice in less than twenty-four hours! Never! “Then maybe he should show me some respect,” Marietta stated, though she’d cowered some and her voice wasn’t as strong and hateful as usual.

Raphael gave a half snort, half growl. “Marie, I’m about two seconds for knocking some serious sense into your pretty little head!”

Marie backed away from him some, still remaining on her bed. Her eyes filled with unwanted tears, as she tried to fully register what he’d just said.

“And then who will you go crying too, huh? Master Splinter?” Raphael went on. “Convenient you only go to him when you’ve been hurt and decide you need justice, you don’t deserve!”

"Raph…" Marie said softly, the tears welling up and pushing at the corners of her eyes. He usually wasn't this harsh to her; his anger was often only directed towards Leonardo.

"Save it, Marie!" Raphael snapped, shaking his head furiously. "For the past few weeks, all I've heard out of you is whining and bitching and complaining! Did you just get your period or somethan? Hell, every time I turn around it's "Master Splinter's a retard!" or "Leo has a stick up his ass!" Didja ever think for a second, just one second, that they're hard on you because if they didn't you'd be lying out in the streets somewhere, dead?"

Raph let out an angry shout and shot a punch at the wall. "You know what's gonna happen? One of these days, you're going to be out on patrol or somethan and you're going to do somethan retarded and either you or Rina's gonna get hurt or killed. What're you gonna do then, Marie, when Rina's lying on the ground, bleeding to death? Yell at Master Splinter some more?"

"Shut up, Raph!" screeched Marie suddenly, grabbing her pillow and throwing it at her brother's head.

He snatched one of her sai off the table stand and sliced the pillow in half before it reached his face. Furious, Raphael leapt forward, an arm hauled back to punch her in the face.

"Damn, if you aren't the pot calling the kettle freakin' black! You're always rebelling against Master Splinter and Leo, and getting yourself caught up in stupid situations!"

His fist trembled with barely contained rage but Marie continued, "You ass! Quit yelling at me when you're doing exactly what you're telling me not to do!"

Marie could see some of the fire go out of Raphael's eyes and his fist lowered.

"Marie," he growled, "Shape up." Still angry, he stomped out of the girls' room, nearly running into Mikey. "Move it, Mikey," he snarled, shoving past his younger brother.

"Whoa, sorry, ya bulldozer," Mikey teased. He had overheard the entire screaming match between the two hot-heads of the family; heck, everyone had heard them.

Rina and Mikey had played Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would talk to whom. Rina had ended up being sent off to track Raph down while Mikey went to comfort Marie. Donatello had decided that his safest bet would be to continue watching TV.

"Hey, kiddo," Mikey said, knocking on the doorframe, "Mind if I come in?"

After Raphael had left, Marie had curled up on her bed and covered her head with one of her stuffed animals. She had never yelled at Raph like that before; she was amazed that he hadn't struck her or pummeled her or something bad like that.

"Whatever," Marie mumbled into her animal. She had started crying but they were silent tears.

Mikey sat down on the bed and shook his head. "Sometimes, I think Raphael's trying to tear down the sewers by yelling. If anyone could do it, he could," Mikey joked.

"Yeah, bet he could," said Marie as Mikey pulled her close to him and hugged her.

It was pretty easy for Catarina to find Raphael. There was one place that he found comfort in when he was angry; the garage. As she walked into the spacious room, she could hear metal tools flying around and smacking into things. As a wrench pinged off the Battle Shell, she gave a disapproving tch. "Dude, you dent it and Donatello will make you get him a new one."

"Rina, get out!" shouted Raph as he shook a hammer at her.

She shrugged and walked over to Donatello's Shell Cycle. She straddled it and put her hands on the handle bars. "Hey, you still haven't given me my next riding lesson," she said, leaning forward as if she was driving.

Raphael gave an irritated huff. "This ain't the time to ask for one."

"I know, I know," said Rina as she swung her leg back over the side and smiled at him, "I was just telling you."

Raphael grabbed a wrench and went over to his own Shell Cycle. He bent down and starting tightening a screw.

Rina sat there in silence, not really watching him, just letting him cool off. She had learned that the best way to let Raphael calm down was to let him work on his Shell Cycle and yell or throw things and just sit there while he did it. The turtle family had found out a while ago that Raphael calmed down quicker if there was someone to talk to nearby that wouldn't fight with him.

"Rina, hand me that can of oil," Raphael demanded and Rina quietly went off to do as he asked.

Raphael immediately grabbed the oil can from his sister, once she'd handed it to him. He silently raged as he oiled his bike up, doing his best to ignore Catarina's occasional stares. He knew she was just waiting for him to open up, but it'd be a bit before he did so, as he hadn't been this mad in a long time. And it'd never before been directed at one of his sisters - especially not Marie, who he knew idolized him. A half hour or so later, he finally broke the thick silence that hung in the air.

"One of these days, her foolishness is gonna cost her, her life," Raphael stated, still tinkering away on his motorbike. "She's gonna get in some kinda mischief, an' we're not gonna be able to get there in time to save her."

Catarina shook her head. "You've never seen her on patrol, Raph," Catarina pointed out. "Sensei always sticks her with Leo. But when she's out on patrol, she's careful and she's ready to defend whoever needs defending - whether it be us or complete strangers."

Raphael eyed Catarina skeptically. "Yeah, you'd say that," he told her. "Y'all just wanna be able to go on back out there together, instead of with us."

"You ever stop to think maybe she's a point, Raph?" Catarina countered. "She's learned most her attitude and stuff from you. She idolizes the ground you walk on, though it annoys Leo to no end. She's always been hard-headed too. She doesn't know any other way, and now she's trying to find herself, but nobody's given her any room to do so. Nor am I getting any room to do so either."

"Rina, you guys didn't hear half of what was said in that room of yours," Raphael retorted. "Someone has to get her to shape up, and if it hasta be me, then so be it."

Rina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, yeah, that sounds like an experience," she said, skipping over towards the other Shell Cycles. She was definitely getting tired of all this talk about Marie. She had grown used to it over the years, what with everyone always fussing about Marie and her hard-headed, fiery nature. Every time Marie went off the handle like this, it seemed like everyone had to get their say in. She was of the opinion that if everyone just ignored Marie, she'd stop fighting it and calm down. Rina walked around one of the Shell Cycles, looking the slim motorcycle up and down. She and Donnie were actually working on this one whenever they had the time; she was dying to get a motorcycle of her own. She put her hand on the rear wheel and grinned uncertainly, "Hey, Raph?"

"What?" he grunted, throwing down a wrench and snatching up a screwdriver.

"What about that lesson now?" she asked hopefully.

He paused and glanced back at her. "What time is it?"

Rina looked down at her watch, "9:00 pm." They were nocturnal for certain obvious reasons.

Raphael rubbed his finger against the screwdriver and smirked, "You're grounded, y'know? And I got patrol at 12:00."

"But Raph," whined Rina, sitting down on the seat of Mikey's bike, "Your bike really needs to be tested out and I can't let you go by yourself."

Raphael crossed his arms and snorted, "Wait, little mini-leader wants to break the rules?"

"Raph!" Rina wailed, "I'm not a mini-leader!"

Raphael nodded and stood up from the floor. He looked like he was going to head back into the lair but then he reached over and picked up the blue and white helmet from the shelf, "Well, Rin, let's see watch you got."

"YES!" shouted Rina, grabbing the helmet and shoving it on her head.

"Do you want to go eat some ice cream or something?" Mikey asked after Marie had had a good long cry. Marie shrugged her shoulders and Mikey laughed, "I'm taking that as a yes." He pulled her to her feet and they walked to the kitchen.

Marie flopped down into a chair at the table while Mikey rushed around, getting together stuff for ice cream Sundaes. It was his policy, that avoiding talking about what made you angry would help you get over it faster.

Marie watched her brother in orange gather everything he'd need to make them their sundaes. He was always good at cheering people up - whether he had ice cream or not. "Hey, Mikey?" She began softly.

Mikey glanced over at her. "Yeah?" He replied.

"Don't forget the chocolate sauce, or I'll be forced to murder someone," Marie smirked.

Michaelangelo laughed and grabbed the chocolate sauce out of the fridge. "But of course!" He stated, setting it down on the table. "Can't have you going off and killing nobody, can we?"

Marie shook her head, already starting to feel a bit better, though not completely.

Meanwhile, Raphael was giving Catarina her bike lesson that she'd been longing for since forever. "Now, you gotta pull the throttle back like this," he showed her. "Then hit the gas, and off we go - but don't hit the gas too hard! I don't wanna be flyin' offa this damned thing at who knows how many miles per hour!"

Catarina smiled sweetly. "I'd never do that to you, Raphie," she told him. "You're nice enough to take me out, so why should I make you fly?"

Raphael just snorted, and got settled on the back of the bike. He'd driven them out of the garage, so they'd be well enough away, before finally letting her drive. Besides, he knew where all the actual peaceful city streets were anyway.

Catarina tightened her helmet, and turned the throttle like her brother had shown her, before hitting the gas pedal - sending them roaring off into the night. She drove along quite well for a while, before having to finally turn, almost losing control of the bike.

"Careful!" Raphael barked from behind her, holding on for dear life. Sure he had taught himself, but he didn't have a passenger on the back of his bike. He knew humans never taught other humans to ride motorbikes this way, as only one person was allowed on the bike until they knew how to drive. But, he figured, this way, should he need to keep her from crashing, all he'd have to do is reach over her and grab the handle bars. He was a pro at this, after all.

Catarina kept going, though their near spill had scared her some - not that she'd admit it anytime soon or anything. She drove along until she finally spotted a nice quiet looking park. She pulled to a stop, and took her helmet off, as they parked the bike. "Here looks like a good resting spot," she smiled. Raphael nodded, climbing off the back of the bike.

"Good 'nough as any," he agreed.

Mikey slid the sundae bowl in front of his little sister and then sat down at the table next to her. "Soooo," he said, scooping an unhealthy amount of chocolate ice cream into his own bowl. "Seen any good movies lately?"

Marie gave a feeble smile, "No…"

She knew very well that he was just trying to take her mind off matters. It was just something he did; he hated strife in the family. If it was Mikey's world, Marie mused, it would be full of unicorns and elves and epic magical battles and superheroes and pizza. Maybe his world wasn't so bad after all.

"Hey, have you been working on any good stories lately?" she asked as she took the ice cream scoop from him and launched into the chocolate. If he was going to avoid the subject of Raphael, she might as well avoid it to. It'd be nice to be civil for a while instead of high-strung and angry. Not that she had given up being angry; she had just decided that she'd mute her anger for now.

Mikey groaned as he snatched up the sprinkles. "Gah, I've been tryin', but nothing good is comin," he said, leaning against the table. "It's a total bummer."

"Are you still working on the story about the boy becoming a ninja and he has to find the five elements?" she asked. She loved listening to Michelangelo's stories; she could remember when he used to make them up and tell them to her and Rina when they were younger.

Mikey nodded, "Yeah, I'm stuck. I've got Harris and the others sitting around a campsite, but they're not talking about anything interesting. It's just filler."

"Maybe they could be attacked," Marie suggested.

Mikey shook his head as he grabbed the chocolate sauce and liberally squirted it onto his ice cream, "Naw, that's already happened like, twice."

"Hey, hey, save some for me!" Marie yelped, reaching out and snatching the bottle. Mikey laughed and nudged her with his elbow, "Chill out, Marie, I'm not gonna use it all."

"That's what Donnie said last time," Marie growled as she got her share of the chocolate sauce.

Mikey laughed as he remembered what had happened to Donatello. "You didn't have to chase him around with a rolling pin."

"He should consider himself lucky that I couldn't find the butcher knives…"

"Kid, if you had skewered Donnie with a butcher knife, I'm pretty sure he would've hit you with his bo."

"Why are we skewering me?" Donatello asked as he entered the kitchen, a half-worried look on his face.

Marietta gave him a pleasant smirk, "We aren't. Yet."

"He's right, though," said Donnie, walking over to the cabinets and pulling out a bowl, "I would have to hit you with my bo if you knifed me."

"Well, don't eat all my chocolate sauce next time," Marie warned, putting some caramel on her sundae.

"It's not your chocolate sauce," retorted Don as he grabbed the chocolate sauce. He too was rather addicted to the chocolatety goodness, and if any one was going to claim it, it was going to be him. "This chocolate sauce, with all its sugar and unhealthy additives, belongs to the whole family! You cannot lay claim on this chocolate sauce. It is not owned by anyone in particular, and I shall not stand for greediness when it comes to this chocolate sauce!" Donnie raised the chocolate sauce above his head, "This chocolate sauce stands for goodness, righteousness and the right to choose toppings for yourself! It is a symbol of free will! It is amazing!"

Marie and Mikey shared a long look after Donatello had finished his rant about chocolate sauce.

"So…can I have it back?" Marie asked.

"No," Don replied, holding the chocolate sauce close to himself, "Not yet."

"You're hogging the chocolate sauce!" Mikey shouted incredulously. "After that whole long speech, you're hogging the chocolate. Crazy."

"No, purposeful!" announced Donatello happily.

"I think you've lost it," Marie said, grabbing a spoon to start eating.

"No, I haven't. I was just telling you my thoughts on the ice cream," he said as he picked up a spoon and headed back out into the living room.

Marie and Mikey were silent for a minute before bursting into laughter.

Rina jumped off of the bike and put her helmet down on the seat. She loved being outside of the sewers and in the free air. Excited, she did cartwheel and followed it with a one-handed round-off. She then flopped down in the nicely cut grass and sighed with contentment.

Raphael rolled his eyes at her behavior but he understood the sentiment. He too hated being trapped in the sewers day after day; his favorite memories were of vacations spent at April's farmhouse in New Hampshire.

"Man, stupid lights," Rina muttered, her head tilted back to look up at the sky, "You can't see the stars."

Raphael glanced up and saw that because of the light pollution from the city, it was impossible to see the shining stars. He pointed over towards the right, "Hey there's one."

"Raph, that's an air plane," replied Rina, tossing her older brother a teasing grin.

"Zat so, smart ass?" he asked, grabbing her by the arm and giving her a noogie.

"Raphaellll!" she cried, trying to free herself from his strong grasp. It was a good thing that the park they were in was secluded.

After torturing Rina, Raphael grabbed her helmet and tossed it to her. "C'mon, slacker, yer lessons not done yet."

Smirking, Rina shoved the helmet back on her head and walked over to the bike. "Hey, how about I take off by myself and you just walk back to the lair?"

"Fat chance," said Raphael as the two of them climbed onto the bike.

"Fine…" she replied but a very mischievous smirk scrawled across her face. Revving the engine, she hit the gas and popped the bike up into a wheelie.

Caught off guard, Raph slipped off the back as the bike darted forward. "Rina!" he shouted angrily as she put the front wheel back down and did a u-ey to get back to him.

"Whoops, sorry Raph, didn't mean to do that," she said, her head tilted to the side.

He couldn't see her face behind the reflective helmet but he could tell from her body language that she was lying. "Do it again and I'll take a sai to that bow of yours."

"I said it was an accident!"

"Yeah, yeah, accident, on purpose, whatever. Just drive."

Rina took them around a few more streets under Raphael's directions. They were heading back to the lair when Rina noticed something going on out of the corner of her eye. She felt Raphael shift behind her; he had seen it too. Someone was breaking into a building from an alleyway. Thinking quickly, she leaned the right and slid the bike back around.

She leaned back to look at her older brother, "Are we going back?"

He was silent for a moment and then said, "Do you got your kaiken?"

"Yeah," she replied; when was she ever without them?

"Then yeah, we're going back. Might as well start acting like a team now," he said, his voice gruff with growing excitement. "You stay on the defense, though; don't go puttin' yourself in danger, I don't wanna explain nothin' to Master Splinter."

"Got it," Rina replied.

Raphael loved to fight off bad guys; it was almost like it was what he was born to do, right the injustice of the world.

Rina revved the engine and drove back to the alleyway. As the bike screeched to a halt, Raphael leapt off the back and brandished his sai.

"What we got here?" Raph asked, looking around at the crooks as he twirled one sai.

They didn't seem like Purple Dragons or Foot Ninja. They looked like thieves for hire, which meant they probably wouldn't work as a team. All the better!

"What'zat?" asked one of the robbers. "Looks like a vigilante to me," said another one. He carefully put down the box he was carrying and cracked his knuckles.

Raphael laughed, "Hey, big fella, I'd be careful if I was youse." "And whys that? You're the one who's gonna be black and blue."

"He's already green!" a third crook shouted with a laugh.

"Just wouldn't want ya to hurt your manicure," mocked Raph and the big buy growled angrily.

While Raph bantered with the enemy, Rina took in a good look at their surroundings. This was actually one of the better parts of town; it was an industrial district. She noticed some cardboard boxes poking out a trash bin with bio-hazard symbols on them. There was a plastic glove on the ground. Maybe it was a medical facility of some kind.

"Get 'em!" One of the burglars exclaimed, and the six of them attacked Raphael, not noticing Catarina who was still kind of hidden, as she looked around warily.

Raphael fought, hardly giving the guys a chance to get a swing or kick in - which of course he'd been trained to do. "Yanno, y'all must be pretty stupid if yah think yah can outsmart me," Raphael commented, dodging a sidekick and grabbing the guy's foot. With a swift move, he sent the thug flying backwards head over heels. "I mean, c'mon! Ain't y'all got any skills? Y'all fight like over-sized monkeys! A snail could fight better than y'all!"

The six men growled and kept attacking, suddenly seeming stronger than before.

Catarina grew bored watching them and suddenly popped up out of no where, kicking the one guy in the back of the head with the high flying spin kick she'd been learning recently. The man went flying forwards, landing flat on his face with a loud THUD! Catarina rolled her eyes.

"You guys can't be that good, if I can use a move I don't know well, and knock you down," she stated, quickly pulling her kaiken out and preparing herself to fight.

"I said they don't got any skills," Raph laughed, dancing about as he moved quickly to avoid his attackers.

Catarina shook her head, as she helped her brother fight. All was going well, until suddenly bigger and stronger reinforcements appeared, all attacking at once.

Raphael growled as one got a good punch to his jaw in. "Rina! Watch yerself! These punks are better than the first bunch o'creeps!"

"I - OOMPH!" Catarina exclaimed, yelping as she was kicked in the plastron. These new guys were pretty tough.

Rina stumbled backwards and nearly lost grasp of her kaiken. Raphael was quick to step in front of her, viciously attacking the guy who had kicked her.

"You okay, Rina?" he shouted back at her as one of the goons aimed a punch at his face.

"Never better," she mused as she jumped to his side, flinging her elbow into a man's stomach.

She channeled her anger into energy and her energy into speed. If she wasn't the best fighter out of her siblings, she was definitely one of the fastest. She prided herself on her speed and the suddenness of her attacks. She twirled amongst their enemies, her small blades piercing their sides, slicing their arms and legs. They would reach out the grab her but she just darted out of reach. She was the agility while Raphael was the powerhouse. After Rina would confuse them, he would land one of his massive attacks on them. They made a pretty good team; of course, the whole family knew how to work well with one another.

"Hey, Rin, wanna lift?" Raphael called to Rina over the battle as he attacked a particularly large man. She was busy with one of the smaller reinforcements. He kept swinging and she kept bobbing and teasing him with her kaiken.

"Sure!" she replied and raced towards him, the smaller, very irritated man following her. He braced his arm as she leapt into the air. She landed on his forearm and a quick upward thrust sent her flying into the air towards the guy Raph had been fighting. A quick twist in the air sent one of her kaiken into his shoulder while she landed with both feet in his chest.

Meanwhile, Raphael knocked the lights out of the smaller goon that Rina had been dealing with. As Rina rejoined Raphael at the older turtle's side, blood dripping from both turtles' blades, the remaining thieves moved back. They weren't prepared to deal with ninja turtles, that was sure.

"Forget it, drop everything," one of them, a leader of sorts, said, "The bosses won't care all that much. And we got something new to tell 'em."

"Who said we're gonna let you leave?" demanded Raphael, dropping down into an attack position.

"This," replied the man as he held up a small object. Rina narrowed her eyes, unsure of what it was. The man threw it on the ground and it started leaking out a white gas.

"Tear gas," growled Raphael as he held his forearm up to his face. Rina grabbed the tail of her bandanna and held it over her mouth. "C'mon, Rina, the police'll show up soon," said Raphael as he headed back towards the bike.

Rina let him drive, and she glanced down at her wristwatch. They weren't late, as of yet. Actually, they would make it back in time for them to pretend that they had been fixing the bike the entire time.

Back at the lair, Donnie, Mikey, and Marie were playing a complicated game of Twister. It was made all the more interesting because of their humongous shells but extremely flexible bodies. What had started off as a game had quickly turned into a heated competition between Marie and Mikey while Don just did it for the fun. Leonardo was sitting in his chair with the spinning board, calling out the commands.

"Left foot red," he said and his siblings scrambled to claim red dots.

"Move your foot, Marie, I need space!" shouted Mikey, nudging Marie's foot.

"If there's no more red, then tough luck, big bro!" she replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

"What if I just shove you over right now, how about that?" asked Mikey.

"Do it and you'll regret it," she replied, frowning at him.

"Next call, Leo?" Donnie ask. He was trapped in a rather precarious position with his legs all twisted up.

Leo nodded and thumped the spinner. "Right hand yellow!"

"Argh, Leo!" Marie cried as she tried to get a yellow dot, "Are you calling these out on purpose?"

"Are you saying that I cheat?" asked Leo, his eye ridges raised mischievously.

"Perish the thought," teased Mikey and Leo rolled his eyes.

"Leo, you're cheating!" shouted Marie, but she was secretly glad to see her older brother act human.

Leonardo smirked. "Prove it," he challenged.

"If I could get up without losing, I would!" Marie exclaimed, just as Raphael and Catarina walked in.

The two had gotten back a few short minutes ago and had cleaned their weapons and themselves up some while up in the garage. They didn't want for anyone to know where they'd really been.

"Rina!" Marie cried, spotting her sister. "Leo's cheating! Make him stop!"

Catarina eyed her sister, who was twisted quite well amongst two of their brothers. "And what do you want me to do about it, Marie? Smack him for yah?" She asked playfully.

"YES!" Marie yelled. "SMACK HIM FOR ME!"

Catarina snorted and shook her head. "Nah, I don't think so. Besides, Leo would never cheat....." She winked at her brother in blue, who just smiled and winked back in return.

Raphael grunted, though attempting to hide a smirk of his own. He knew how Leo liked to play Twister - he'd make it into something extremely difficult and challenging. He nudged Catarina then, to remind her to get a move on and clean her kaiken better, before anyone noticed the stains on it.

Catarina smiled at them all, then took off for her room. "Careful you don't fall, Marie!" She called out to her sister. "Mikey knows how to tickle while in position!"

Marietta groaned. "Don't you dare cheat, Michaelangelo!" She declared. "Or I'll skewer you 'stead of Donnie!"

"What is with you wanting to skewer me!?!" Donatello exclaimed.

"Nothing, just seems like a good idea," said Marie.

Raphael glanced over at Leo who shrugged; he hadn't heard the conversation in the kitchen. The turtle in red rolled his eyes and walked over into the kitchen. Fighting those crooks had made him hungry, and he wanted to eat something before going out of patrol. Maybe they would meet up with the group of them again; he was pumped to bust some more skulls.

In the living room, Leo had created a mess out of the Twister Game. "Left foot blue!" he said and with that one command, all three of his siblings fell over.

Mikey, in his haste, had knocked into to Donatello who was pushed into Marie who landed on Michelangelo. Leo smirked and leaned back in his chair; sweet victory.

"Leo, you're not supposed to cheat!" shouted Marie as she tried to disentangle herself from her brothers.

Leo laughed as he stood up and put the spinner back in the box. "Maybe I didn't," he said.

"Leoooo," she wailed in complaint.

Leonardo grinned and helped Donnie up. "I think it's about time for us to head out on patrol," he said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Dude, do we have to go tonight?" asked Mikey from where he was laying on the ground. "We could always take a night off."

"Yeah! You could!" Marie insisted readily, as she didn't want to be stuck in the lair without them. Her brothers were great fun, when she wasn't so mad at them - even Leo could be fun at times, though she'd never once admit it.

Leonardo shook his head. “C’mon guys, you know Master Splinter won’t stand for it. And what’s so wrong with patrolling? We always have fun, whether we have to save the city or not,” Leo reminded them. “Besides, it’s good exercise.”

Marie pouted. “Not fun for those of us who get left at home,” she whined. “C’mon Leo! Can’t y’all just this once skip patrol an’ stay an’ keep Rina an’ I company?”

“You mean you actually want my company?” Leonardo asked, his eye ridges raised.

“That’d be a first,” Mikey whispered to Donnie.

“Did I say you? No! I want Mikey an’ Donnie to stay – duh!” Marie retorted, not wanting to admit she wanted all four of her brothers to stay home tonight and play games. “’Sides, we were havin’ fun!”

Leonardo shook his head. “Marie, it’s our duty to go out on patrol and protect the city,” Leonardo reminded her. “Besides, the last time we took a night off, a whole lot of bad things happened. So, sorry, but no, we’re not taking tonight off.”

Marie scowled. “Fine! Be a mean old Slave Driver!” She yelled, suddenly furious once more. She turned on her heel and stormed off to the room she still shared with her sister.

Leonardo rolled his eyes, then went about ushering his brothers to get ready to go out and patrol the city. They had obligations, and couldn’t just abandon them because they felt like taking a break, if they did that, who knows what could go wrong this time around.

Catarina looked up as her sister stormed into their room. “What’re you mad about now?” She asked, eyeing her warily.

Marietta cast her sister a slight glare. “Leo won’t let the guys stay home from patrol, when Mikey don’t even wanna go!” She stated. “It’s not fair! I want them to stay here, or for us to go with them!”

Catarina rolled her eyes. “Marie, maybe this is their time to bond, ever think of that?”

Marie huffed and plopped down onto her bed. “No,” she admitted. “But we were havin’ fun….even if Leo was cheating!”

Catarina smiled. “I know you love him deep down. You’re just too stubborn to admit it.”

Marie shrugged. “So what?” She eyed her sister, who was still cleaning her kaiken. “What’d you an’ Raph do, huh? Didn’t you clean that thing earlier?”

“Nothing wrong with cleaning your weapon more than once a day,” Rina replied casually. “It makes it look nice and it gives it that extra shine Sensei’s always talking about.”

“Pfft. Suck up,” Marie scoffed, leaning back onto her stuffed animals and pillows. “You keep that up an’ you’ll turn into Leo, an’ then we’ll fight all the time an’ I don’t want that.”

Catarina laughed some – her sister could be over-dramatic at times. “Mae-Mae, that’s not gonna happen. You know me better than anyone. Besides, we’re a team to be reckon with. Those baddies better look out!”

“Yeah, when Sensei lets us outta the lair,” Marie grumbled, tossing one of her stuffed friends into the air before catching him again. “So….how’s Raph?”

“He’s fine,” Rina answered. “Still a bit steamed, but fine.”

“He ain’t got no right to be steamed – he almost punched me, not the other way around,” Marie grumbled.

Catarina rolled her eyes once more. “I think he’s gotta right to be, but so do you – but let’s not get into that discussion again.”

“So do yah think if we butter Sensei up, he’ll let us off restriction sooner?” Rina shrugged.

“I don’t know; he might. Sensei can be confusing when he wants to be.”

“Hey, aren’t Power Rangers on now?” Marie asked suddenly, after a few moments of silence. She sat up and smirked. “Wanna go watch ‘em?”

Rina smiled back at her sister, setting her now clean kaiken down. “Race yah!” She shouted, jumping up and running out into the den.

Marie laughed and chased after her sister, doing a back-flip to get onto the couch sooner.

Catarina laughed, and turned the show on, as she knew their brothers had already left – her and Marie had been in their room for about a half hour and she knew Leonardo was prompt and insisted the others be the same.

A few hours later and the girls were back in the dojo. This time the object of practice was meditating. This was a procedure that neither girl was very good at. Marie was easily annoyed by the long periods of sitting while Rina was fidgety and often let her mind wander away from whatever they were supposed to be focusing on. Today it was a picture of the ocean.

"Breathe like the ocean, my daughters," Master Splinter was chanting under his breath, trying to tame their disobedient minds, "a gentle in as the wave swells. Feel the water around you, cool and smooth, the moonbeams shimmer on the water. Power growing beneath your skin, rippling across you like the breaking of the waves. Exhale. The wave crashes against the shore, the strength against what does not move."

Marie let out a big, agitated whoosh of air and cracked open one eyelid to glance at Rina. The blue-and-white clad turtle was obviously not paying any attention to what Master Splinter was saying; Marie could tell by the grin that was on her sister's face. She was probably off in her own little world somewhere, battling ship full of British soldiers as a pirate or something. Rina always had been good at coming up with make-believe games when they were little; Marie was just as skilled and they had had their fair share of adventures as turtle tots. They had driven their brothers and sensei positively wild trying to keep up with their antics.

Master Splinter suddenly sighed, "It is obvious to me that your minds are not on the task at hand." He looked over at Rina and Marie saw him smirk, "Is that not correct, Catarina?"

"Ho, yeah, huh?" she exclaimed, blinking her eyes rapidly as she looked up at him, "Oh, sure, Sensei."

Master Splinter shook his head and extended his hands to the two young turtles, "You must learn that fighting is not the only attribute of ninjitsu. Stealth, silence, the calm within the storm, these are the ways of the ninja. Each one must be embraced during you training for you to reach your true potential."

"We're trying, Sensei," Rina said as she leaned back on the mat, propping herself up with extended arms.

"It's just hard," Marie put in as she slouched over, "We don't got a lot of patience for all this sitting and thinking and stealthiness."

"I know," he said, giving them both a gentle smile as he reached over and put his hands on their knees, "Your minds are young and restless. It is hard to concentrate, but you both must try for the sake of this family."

"Hai, Sensei," the girls said in a quiet, unified reply. They began the exercise again, and this time the two of them gave it more of an effort.

An hour later, there was a commotion coming from the living room. Marie and Rina were at that time were alone in the dojo sparring with one another as part of their extra practice punishment. They had both decided that the extra practice wasn't that bad as long as they didn't bicker and they somehow managed to make it entertaining.

"Guys are back!" exclaimed Marie as she shoved Rina away and ran out of the dojo.

Rina rolled her eyes but tore after her sister, eventually catching up with her as they entered the living room. All four of them were pumped from the evening; it had obviously been an eventful night. Mikey was bouncing around the room; not even a threat of pain from Raphael made him stand still. Donnie and Leo were play-sparring, bo against katanas while Raph talked with a tall man with a white mask on his head.

"Casey!" exclaimed Rina, rushing over to the human.

"Hey, Mini-Ninja, how's it hanging?" he asked as she gave him a hug.

"We're grounded," answered Marie as she watched Mikey racing around the room. He looked as if someone had poured a large amount of sugar down his throat.

"Oooh, tough break, girlies," said Casey, rubbing at the back of his neck, "Course, y'all are grounded, what, every other week?"

"Casey!" both of the girls whined.

"Don't call us girlies, it's sexist," said Rina, casting a frown up at the human man.

He laughed and tweaked the knot of her bandanna. "Hey, but it's true," he said.

"Is not!" Marie argued, still watching her brother in orange run about the lair. "We're tomboys, thank-you very much."

"Yer still girls, that take forever to do their hair," Casey replied.

Rina shrugged. "Well, it's our job to make sure our hair is done right, so it's not in our way when we spar."

"What she said," Marie agreed, jerking a thumb at her sister. "An' don't you dare mention the fact I hate my hands being dirty! And that I hate bugs, 'cause Raph hates 'em too, yanno!"

Casey held his hands up in defense. "I didn't say a word, you did," he pointed out. "Besides, if I want a real girl, I'll just go on back up top to April."

Catarina giggled, knowing the man meant no harm with his statement as he probably hadn't even realized what he had said. Marie on the other hand, turned and sucker punched their human friend right in the stomach.

"Watch it," she growled, as he doubled over from the unexpected blow.

"Marie!" Rina exclaimed, helping Casey remain standing.

"Wha - What did I say?" Casey gasped, trying to catch his breath midst his attempt to stand upright once more.

Raphael cast Marietta a cold Look, which she in turn gave him right back, before turning and tackling Michaelangelo as he ran by. She squealed as he kept on running, but with her hanging off his back now - she loved when he played this game with her - despite how old they were.

Catarina shook her head as Casey shook himself off, in an attempt to shake off the fact the punch had hurt.

"So, what's there to eat around this joint?"

Rina laughed. "Just like a guy to always think about food."

Raph clapped Casey's back with his hand, smiling at his friend. "Pizza - what else?"

"Well, then, let's get to eating! I'm starved!" Casey stated.

"I'd comment on that, but I'm hungry now too," Rina smiled, as she moved out of Leonardo and Donatello's way - the two were still play sparring in the den.

Rina, Raphael, and Casey retreated into the kitchen while Mikey continued to piggyback Marie around the room. The turtle in orange seemed to be endlessly energetic tonight. Finally, he flung himself down on the couch, dropping Marie on the chair before he did. While Mikey caught his breath, Leonardo vaulted over the couch and parried a blow from Donnie's bo. While the other two turtles sparred, Marie crawled over to the couch and grinned at her brother.

"So, what'd y'all do tonight?" she asked, looking up at him.

Mikey smiled, "We kicked shell!"

"Hell yeah!" came Raphael's shout from the kitchen.

Mikey laughed, "It was a gang of Purple Dragons taking out their frustrations on this nice old lady. We started in on them and then Casey showed up. We spent the rest of the night breaking up some muggings and some other small crimes. Not a bad night, if I do say so myself."

Marie smiled. She wouldn't have minded to be out there with them; it was sometimes fun to go out in a big group with her brothers.

In the kitchen, Raphael and Casey were raiding the fridge for leftover pizza. "Mmm, anchovies," said Raph as he grabbed out one of the cardboard boxes. Casey was already manipulating the microwave, trying to heat up a supreme pizza. Rina was searching the cabinets for glasses.

"How the heck do you work this contraption?" Casey exclaimed finally.

Rina laughed, setting the glasses on the table, before going over and starting up the microwave for Casey. "Donnie's fixed this so much; it's starting to look like a foreign object."

"It's offa Star Trek!" Marie yelled from the next room, where she sat snuggled up against Michaelangelo. She knew what they were talking about the moment she heard Casey.

"Donnie an' his geekazoid Star Trek," Casey muttered, plopping down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"It's not geeky!" Donatello and Marie both yelled out a moment or two after Casey had spoken - how they'd heard him, he'd never know - but in truth, they just knew him well enough to know his response.

Leonardo back flipped off the chair Marie had been sitting in a few moments ago, Donatello quickly following him. They were determined to finish their little spar game - hopefully before Master Splinter caught them play sparring outside of the dojo.

"I wish I coulda gone with y'all," Marie said softly, moving Michaelangelo's arm until it was draped over her shoulder and shell, in a half hug. She wanted to snuggle, and she knew Mikey would always let her - he was the most comforting one.

"Well, maybe next time, Kiddo," Michaelangelo smiled, tweaking the tail ends of her bandana playfully.

Marie swatted at his hand half-heartedly, though she was smiling as well.

"Pizza's done!" Rina called out then, as she took the Supreme pizza out of the microwave.

Donatello and Leonardo quickly sparred themselves into the kitchen, while Michaelangelo hopped up so fast, he made Marie fall onto the floor.

Marie groaned. "Dammit! I was comfortable!"

"Sorry, Munchkin," Mikey laughed, helping her up quickly, before high-tailing it into the kitchen for some pizza.

Rina laughed as all her brothers who hadn't been in the kitchen already came running - or sparring - in. She took her seat and grabbed a slice of the Supreme - only Raph liked the anchovies.

"I don't know how you can eat those things," Casey stated, watching Raphael shovel his third slice of pizza into his mouth.

Raph just smirked and continued eating his pizza.

Rina ducked as Donatello swung his bo over her head. "Hey! No sparring in the kitchen! Sit down an' eat!"

"Sorry Rina," Donatello laughed, placing his bo staff onto his back and making sure it was secured, before taking his seat.

Leonardo sheathed his katanas and also took his seat, both him and Donnie dug into the Supreme pizza. Marie stayed in the den, flopped half-heartily on the couch, not the least bit hungry, though she usually was after sparring. She didn't even glance up when she heard Master Splinter come out of his study.

Master Splinter's dark brown eyes roved over the mess in the living room. A few chairs had been turned over and quite a few objects were out of place. His sons must have returned home. He saw one of his daughters lying on the couch while there was an abundance of noise coming from the kitchen. Everyone but Marietta seemed to be partaking of pizza… A different scent caught his nose. Casey Jones, that big, bulky oaf, was in the lair. Master Splinter sighed; whenever that outspoken vigilante was around, his children always seemed to be in the most active of moods. He walked into the kitchen to find Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, and Casey playing a game of keep-away with Michelangelo. They were tossing a slice of pizza back and forth between themselves while the turtle in orange chased after it.

"Dudes, this is sooo unfair!" he shouted, trying to jump up and grab the pizza.

Leonardo reached over and snatched the pizza that was flying through the air.

Mikey lunged for it, but Leo tossed it over to Casey who immediately threw it to Donnie when Mikey came too close.

Catarina was sitting on the counter, munching on a slice of cheese pizza while watching the boys mess around. Occasionally she would have to lean out of the way as Mikey rushed by her, nearly knocking her off the counter every time.

"Piiizzzaaa!!" Mikey shouted as he made one last daring attempt to take the pizza by rushing Raphael.

Raphael ducked and Mikey ended up diving over the top of his shell, landing at Master Splinter's feet. The turtle in orange quickly scrambled to his feet while the other turtles snickered or laughed.

"Raphael, please give your brother his pizza," Master Splinter said.

Raphael gave an exaggerated eye roll before handing the pizza over to Mikey.

Mikey clasped the pizza to himself and retreated into the living room where he was less likely to be assaulted again. He sat down on the couch next to Marie's feet and nodded towards her, "Hey, Marie, turn the TV on."

"You do it," she replied, not looking at him.

"I'm eatiiiing," he whined and she reached for the remote.

She flipped the TV on then tossed the remote at Mikey, letting it hit him in the shoulder.

Mikey poked out his lower lip; what was it with everyone and hitting him that night? "Do I have a pick-on-me sign on my shell or something?" he asked and Marie giggled.

"No, Mikey, Leo took that off you way earlier," she reassured.

Mikey gave her a wry look and tickled the soles of her feet with his free hand.

Back in the kitchen, the boys were telling Master Splinter about the events of the night while the elderly rat had a slice of pizza and a cup of green tea. Rina didn't think that looked like a tasty mixture but whatever Sensei wanted.

"And then, get this Sensei, Casey leaps off my shoulders and gets the guy as he's going up the fire escape! Is that awesome or what?" asked Raphael, obviously excited.

Rina grinned into her glass of Coke; Raphael could make the most boring of fights sound exciting.

"It is very…interesting, my son," Master Splinter said, obviously not agreeing entirely with the unorthodox attack. However, it had worked, his sons were home safely, and that was all that mattered.

Raphael grinned, as he grabbed up another slice of pizza. "We oughta learn how to do that - it was awesome!" He stated. "Should call it, The Flying Man Grabbler! Yanno, fly offa someone's shoulders an' grab the thug!"

Master Splinter shook his head slightly. "Kids," he stated, sipping his tea.

Rina smiled at their father, loving how he was easy-going when they allowed him to be so, and strict when they did wrong and/or had scared him half to death.

"What are your plans for the rest of this evening?" Master Splinter wanted to know.

"We're just gonna chill around the lair and watch some videos or something," Raphael replied.

"Yeah, unless Raph here decides to sneak off with Casey again," Leonardo put in.

"Shaddup, Leo!" Raphael snapped.

Donatello rolled his eyes at the two - even after all these years, they still knew how to bicker like a couple of little kids.

Catarina giggled. "Just be glad it's only Raph sneaking out and not Marie," she commented, though it was a lie.

Her and her sister had snuck out a few times, her sister more so - Marie had even once followed Raphael and after much pleading been allowed to go off with him, against his better judgment. Raph was a sucker for his sisters, though he'd never admit it to anyone, nor let it show just how easily they suckered him into things - even if he was hard on them at times, namely Marietta who was too much like him for his own comfort.

"I say we watch Star Trek Nemesis," Donatello suggested.

"No way! No geek videos!" Casey exclaimed.

"Gone With The Wind!" Catarina suggested.

"No sissy girl movies either," Raphael snapped somewhat. "I say we watch The Ring 2!"

"No! No scary movies!" Catarina cried, as her and Marie still scared easily when it came to those, and usually wound up with nightmares.

Raph snorted. "Right, it's gotta be PG-13 so the rug-rats can watch it."

Rina scowled. "We can watch any movie we'd like, Raphael! We just don't like gory, scary movies!"

"What about a Bruce Lee flick?" Leonardo suggested.

"No way! They lip sync those things!" Casey stated.

Marie giggled and squirmed some, as her feet were tickled - her most ticklish spot ever. She brought her feet up to her chest as she rolled onto her side, in an attempt to evade Michaelangelo's tickling fingers. She wasn't feeling too well, though she was doing her best to hide that fact - and so far, so good.

"Hey, Raph, let's watch your favorite movie!" suggested Rina, a grin on her face.

Raphael knew that face and he knew to be suspicious of it. "An what's that?" he asked.

"Hmm, that My Little Ponies episode that you keep hid-"

Raphael was immediately tearing after his little sister, yanking his sai from his belt menacingly. "Come back here, ya smart-mouthed, pigtail-wearin' coward!" he shouted as he chased her into the living room.

"What? I'm just telling the truth!" screeched Rina, darting out of his reach. She was the faster of the two and could easily avoid him.

"Mikey, grab her!" Raphael shouted, asking for his brother's help.

Mikey held up his hands, "Hey, this is your fight, I'm not getting involved."

Raphael vaulted over the couch while Rina raced in the other direction. He put on an extra burst of adrenaline and nearly got her but she leapt out of the way. However, another step and he was able to catch the ends of her bandanna tails. With a quick tug, he pulled her backwards, making her yelp. He grabbed her and held her in a headlock, "What'd ya say? C'mon, Rina, what'd you say?"

"My Little Ponies…In your room…Favorite movie!!" she gasped as she struggled to get out of the headlock.

"Really? Cause I thought that's what you said," Raphael said.

"Raph, let her go before she goes blue in the face," Donnie said as he walked out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, Raph, don't kill her yet? What will we have to do later tonight?" asked Casey, grinning at Catarina. The young turtle girl glared at him while Raph let her go. She jumped away, narrowly missing a kick to the rear from Raphael. She stuck her tongue out at him before sitting down on the floor in front of the couch.

"So, what're we watching?" Leo asked as he took up his favorite chair.

"I don't know, it seems we can't come to a decision," said Donnie, glancing over at Raphael and Rina who were now throwing a couch pillow at each other.

Marie smiled over at Mikey and suggested, "The Goonies?"

"I LOVE that movie!" exclaimed Mikey, leaping up to go get the DVD.

"We know," said the rest of the family and Casey. Since they all agreed that they liked Goonies, they watched that movie whenever they couldn't decide on a different one. Marie curled up on the couch and idly played with her sister's bandanna tails as she watched the movie. She fell asleep early on in the film, not even getting to her favorite part with the monster in the basement.

Leonardo cast a glance at his already sleeping sister, deeming it odd, as he knew she didn't usually fall asleep until after her favourite part of the movie. He shrugged, but vowed to keep an eye on her just to be sure.

Soon enough, the movie ended and Casey decided to head on home. He said his goodbyes, then left the lair - it was early morning, so he'd have no problems on his way home; especially since he was leaving via the garage and they lived in a mostly deserted part of town.

"Whose gonna get the Runt to bed?" Raphael grunted, as he stood up from where he'd been sitting on the floor. "She's sleepin' like a sack o'potatoes."

"Potatoes don't sleep," Catarina mumbled tiredly, stumbling to get up and flashing Donatello a grateful smile when he steadied her.

"Why don't you carry her, Raph?" Leonardo suggested.

"I'm still mad at her," Raphael answered. "An' why the Hell should I always be the one to carry her, huh?"

"Then just leave her there," Leonardo shrugged. "She looks peaceful enough."

"Yeah, only in her sleep," Raphael muttered, as he watched Donatello scoop Rina up into his arms and carry her off down the hall.

Catarina protested playfully, really not minding the lift at all - besides, their brothers were super strong, and they could lift just about anything - so the girls figured.

"I'll get this lug off to bed," Raphael stated after Donnie and Rina had left the room, nodding towards Michaelangelo. "I know how he gets when asleep."

Leonardo sighed, but nodded his head. Figured he'd have to be the one to carry the girl he fought with most to bed. He scooped Marie up, noting she was a bit warm, but figured it was just the way she'd been lying on the couch, and carried her off to bed. Once his sisters were tucked in, him and Donatello headed off to their rooms to go to sleep as well.

The next morning, Catarina woke on her own and after brushing her hair and doing what she had to do in the bathroom, made her way into the kitchen for breakfast. It was Sunday and on Sunday's Mikey usually cooked them some pancakes so that they could have something different for a change, instead of their usual breakfast foods. Besides, they all loved pancakes - all different kinds too! And of course, Michaelangelo was the best at making them!

"Mornin'!" She chirped cheerfully, as she bounced into the kitchen, excited about the pancakes, like always.

"Hey Kiddo!" Mikey grinned at her, as he mixed the pancake batter. "What kinda pancakes do you want this morning? Donnie an' Leo are havin' apple and banana ones, and Raph is gonna have raspberry chocolate chip," he told her.

Catarina smiled, and checked out the ingredients her brother had. "Chocolate chips!" She decided. "And you know Marie'll have the same!"

Michaelangelo nodded, and went about making pancakes for everybody.

"Where is everyone?" Catarina asked finally, as usually everyone was in the kitchen early on Pancake Sundays.

"Leo's practicin' his katas just because, Raph's gone to fetch his sai form his room since he somehow forgot to put them on, and Donnie's in his lab - where else?" Mikey replied.

"And Master Splinter?" Rina began, only to be cut off.

"Is right behind you," Mikey snickered, as he'd seen their Sensei enter the kitchen.

Catarina turned and grinned at the elderly rat. "Mornin' Sensei!" She chirped.

"Good morning, my daughter," Master Splinter smiled softly, as he took his seat and accepted the tea his son in orange set before him.

A short while later, almost everyone had gathered in the kitchen to eat - only Marie was absent, which in itself was odd. They thought nothing of it though, as they all dug into their wonderful smelling, delicious tasting pancakes.

Near the end of breakfast, Marie came stumbling out of her and Catarina's room a bit flushed and ill feeling, but slightly hungry nonetheless. She'd noticed it was later than usual for her to be getting up on a Pancake Sunday, but she was just so tired, she couldn't help but sleep - nor the fact she was more than ready to fall over and go back to sleep once more right then and there. She clumsily made her way into the living room, occasionally holding onto things if she felt she was going to fall. She'd made it as far as Splinter's chair, when Leonardo came out of the kitchen on his way to the bathroom.

"Morning Marie," he smiled, his smile going to a frown when he heard her mumble incoherently and wave him off half-heartedly. Something wasn't right with her, he could sense it. She was a bit pale and flushed, which was rather odd for them to be, considering they were turtles and all. "Marie, are you alright?"

"Mmhmm," Marie managed to speak, swaying some as a dizzy spell hit her. She could feel herself falling, and tried desperately to keep hold of the chair, but to no avail. "Leo...." She murmured, as she went down, hitting the floor with a loud THUD!

Leo was automatically next to his sister, kneeling down beside her semi-conscious form. "Marie, are you alright?" he asked, placing her head on his lap.

"Mmm, I'm good," she replied, her eyelids still closed.

Leo rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure." He laid his hand across her forehead. While she had felt mildly warm last night, she was now burning up with a fever. "If nothing's wrong, why'd you fall over?" he asked.

"Nothin', I dunno…my head hurts," Marie mumbled incoherently as she glared up at him as if it was his fault.

"No small wonder, you knocked it against the chair when you fell," Leonardo told her.

"I did?" she asked, trying to wave him off as he helped her sit up. "I can do it myself, I'm not five."

"You should've told someone you were sick," Leo said but his reprimand was more out of concern than anger. He helped her onto the couch while she tried to get away, not wanting to admit that she was sick.

The thud from the living room had caused at least Master Splinter to become curious. Such loud noises were so commonplace to the others that they didn't even take notice of it. Master Splinter left the breakfast table to find Leo putting Marie on the couch. His purple-and-yellow wearing daughter was an oddly pale shade of green this morning. He automatically knew that she was ill, and he went to her side.

"What happened?" he asked, glancing at his oldest child.

Leonardo motioned towards Marietta, "She just fell over, Sensei. I think she's pretty sick."

The rat sighed and turned his attention to his daughter. "Is that true, Marietta?"

She shrugged and buried her head into the couch cushions. Her head felt all stuffy and her feet were cold and her hands were hot…she did not feel well at all.

Master Splinter patted her on the shoulder and turned back to Leonardo. "Leonardo, please go and find Advil and a cool cloth. I will stay with Marietta."

Leonardo nodded and immediately left for the kitchen.

Master Splinter smoothed Marie's hair in a comforting gesture. His little rebel was sick; he could almost predict that it was going to be quite the trial trying to get her well since she was so energetic. When the girls had been younger, Marie had been the one who caught the colds, the sniffles, the sore throats, and the ear infections. Rina was rarely sick, but when she was, she was down for the count whereas Marie was bad off for a few days but got well soon enough. However, Marie was a terrible patient; she was always trying to run off when she should have been resting and often refused to take medicine.

"Master Splinter, are there any pancakes left?" asked Marie, turning her head away from the couch cushion.

Master Splinter smiled down at her, "I'm certain that if there aren't, Michelangelo will be happy to make you some more."

Marie smiled faintly and tried not to think of anything because she had a headache.

Leonardo returned moments later with a cool cloth and some Advil, also with Catarina at his side.

"What's goin' on?" She asked worriedly, noticing Master Splinter smoothing Marietta's hair as she just lie there.

"Marietta is ill," Master Splinter answered, as he retrieved the cloth from Leonardo and placed it on his daughter's head. "I would advise you to steer clear of her until she is well again."

"But we share a room," Catarina pointed out. "Her germs are probably all over it by now."

"You can have my room, Rina," Leonardo told her. "I'll sleep elsewhere until Marie's well again."

Catarina nodded, then shook her head at her sister. "Only you would get sick while grounded, Mae-Mae," she teased. "You must've decided you wanted the royal treatment."

Marietta lazily gave her sister the finger, having had already forgotten just whose hand it was smoothing her hair.

Master Splinter sighed, knowing reminding her on her manners would be a lost cause right about now.

"Sensei, what about the extra practice?" Catarina wondered. "We were gonna work on some - ah - stuff today...." She'd caught herself just in time - she didn't want them knowing her and Marie had been working on a partnered advanced move they'd seen their brothers do plenty of times.

"You may practice alone, or ask one of your brothers to join you in the dojo," Master Splinter replied, as Marie swatted Leo's hand holding the Advil away.

"Marie, c'mon," Leonardo insisted. "You hafta take the Advil to lower your fever."

"Screw you...." Marietta murmured softly.

"Can you not be stubborn just for once?" Leonardo demanded of her. "This will help you feel better."

Marietta shook her head defiantly, not wanting to admit it hurt to swallow more or less talk.

Catarina shook her head. "Feel better, Mae-Mae," she told her, giving her sister a re-assuring smile before turning and running back into the kitchen to ask one of her brothers to join her in the dojo. It was always fun working out with them, long as they didn't push her too hard.

"Oh, Mikey," Catarina said sweetly.

"Uh-oh, lookout Mike," Raphael commented. "She wants something."

Michaelangelo laughed. "Whatcha want, Rina?"

Catarina pouted. "Who says I want anything?" She asked playfully.

"You always act extra sweet when you want a favour," Donatello pointed out, as he cleared his plate and utensils off the table.

"Well, in that case - Mikey, will you practice with me today?" Catarina asked. "Please? Marie's sick, and I don't wanna do extra practice alone - that's no fun."

Michaelangelo shrugged. "Sure, I got nothing better to do."

"Gee, thanks," Catarina replied, rolling her eyes.

Michaelangelo just smiled. "Hey, I could always say no."

"No! No - I'll meet you there in a few minutes," Catarina cut in quickly. "I have to get some stuff from my room and move it into Leo's."

"Ah, kicked out of your own room I see," Donatello smirked.

"Well, least I get to kick Leo out of his too," Catarina smiled. "It's not often he gives up his room."

"Figures he'd suck up," Raphael grumbled. "Always has to play the good son."

"Someone has to," put in Donatello, smirking at his brother, "I mean, I'm the reclusive one, Mikey's the prankster, and you're the rebel. In order to keep Master Splinter sane, there has to be at least one person to balance the system."

Raphael chucked his fork at his purple-wearing brother, almost hitting him in the head, "It wasn't a question, Donnie."

"Where do the girls fit in that balance?" asked Mikey, noticing the pout about to set on Rina's face.

"They balance themselves, like yin and yang," said Donnie as he put his dishes in the sink. Raphael handed him his plate and Mikey did the same.

"Who's who?" Rina asked as she went to help Donnie wash the dishes quickly.

"You're the yin," Donnie said, smiling at his sister. "The softer one, a little quieter, and gentle. Marie's the yang, loud, aggressive, and overly active. However, yin flows into yang and yang flows into yin. You both have attributes of the other, and you compliment each other well."

Rina's beak wrinkled; she didn't think that she was that much of a yin. She conformed into the yin because that was what Sensei needed from one of his daughters. After they finished with the dishes, Rina raced off to move her stuff into Leo's room.

While Rina and Mikey practiced in the dojo, Marie slept uneasily on the couch. Master Splinter had gotten her to drink some sort of specially concocted tea that pretty much knocked her out for the rest of the morning. Leonardo sat in the easy chair beside her, reading a novel while he kept an eye on his younger sister. She looked the same as she had earlier. Master Splinter had an idea that she had caught some kind of cold while roaming around the city with Rina on patrol. She was covered with the comforter from her room and Raphael had brought her one of her many stuffed animals.

"I don't know how they move around in that room, so many danged stuffed animals," he had growled at Leo after handing the bear to Marie. His sister had accepted the toy gratefully and tucked it under her arm. Raphael could be surprisingly caring sometimes.

In the dojo, Mikey and Rina were putting each other through their paces. They had created a kind of Cowboys and Indians game to play by setting up the dojo like a laser tag arena. The weapons holders were placed strategically while practice dummies and other objects were moved around to create places to hide. Mikey was tossing dull-edged shuriken at Rina while she was shooting blunt arrows at him. Each hit was a point and whoever got the most points won. The loser had to do the other's chores for the next week. Mikey and Rina didn't play games when it came to chores. Neither of them was saying anything as they moved stealthily around the room. There was only the occasional whistle of a shuriken or an arrow flying through the air. Whenever one hit its mark, there would be a soft 'ouch' or 'dammit.'

Catarina peeked around the corner of a practice dummy carefully, doing her best as not to be seen by her brother in orange. She laughed silently as she saw him run from behind a cabinet to behind another practice dummy. She readied her bow and took aim, before letting the arrow fly beautifully through the air.

"Dammit!" Michaelangelo's voice exclaimed quietly, none too happy with himself for managing to get hit. He peeked out, just in time to see Catarina duck back behind the practice dummy she was hiding in back of. He smirked and threw a shuriken, just narrowly missing her as she dodged for another object in the room to hide behind. She dove and landed just in time, as the shuriken whizzed past her shell. She gave a small sigh of relief, before cautiously peeking out again to see where her brother was at.

Marie coughed, in her sleep, groaning afterwards; she still felt the same as before, despite the fact she'd been sleeping for well over an hour and a half. In fact, her throat even felt worse than it had before, causing her to whine somewhat softly. She hated being sick, as she always became such a crybaby, though she still remained hard-headed. She kept her eyes closed, smiling some when she realized someone had fetched her favourite Teddy Bear - Mr. Stuffles - for her. She buried her face into his soft fur, stifling the urge to throw up all over him, the couch, and the floor.

Leonardo glanced over the top of his book at her, to see if she was alright. "Marie?"

Marietta gagged some in response, fighting to keep her insides where they belonged - inside of her.

Meanwhile, Catarina was back-flipping all over the dojo as her brother attempted to hit her with a blunt shuriken - needless to say, he wasn't having very much luck, despite the fact he was the fastest out of the four boys. Just his luck, that Catarina was mighty fast as well.

"Hold still!" Mikey finally whined a little. "I'm trying to hit you!"

Rina laughed. "Exactly! Trying to hit me, but not doing a very good job of it, now are you?"

Mikey scowled, and moved quickly, blocking her path as she leapt backwards, unaware he was there as she'd forgotten to check first. She yelped as she felt a blunt shuriken pelt off her head, and was startled when she literally crashed into her brother, sending both of them to the floor as Mikey's reflexes had been a little delayed - purposely.

"Graceful, oh sooo very graceful!" Mikey teased as Rina tried to get up away from him. He reached out and snagged her ankle before she could stand up and tackled her to the floor again.

"Mikey!" shouted Rina, "Leggo!"

"Never!" cried Mikey, tickling her sides.

Rina let out a howl of laughter and swung her leg around, hitting him in the head because of a reflex. He yelped and grabbed at his head as she scrambled out of the way. She grabbed a spare bo from one of the weapons racks and whacked Mikey across the shell with it.

"Take that, villain!" she said, twirling the bo above her head before whacking him again.

Mikey laughed, grabbed the bo as she swung it again, and pulled it out of her hands. She leapt away as he swung back at her.

"Too slow, Mikey," said Rina.

"Don't get cocky," said Mikey as he pulled a shuriken from his belt.

"Aahh!" she screeched as she flung herself away from the line of fire.

Leonardo guessed that Marie was about to hurl so he hurriedly got Marie up and half-carried her, half-dragged her to the bathroom. She nearly lost her cookies on the way but she managed to hold it in until she was bent over the toilet. Leo was a little uncertain of what to do; usually it was Master Splinter who handled this. Sensei, however, had gone out with Donatello to see if he could find a stronger kind of medicine. Leo pulled back Marie's long strawberry blond hair as she retched into the toilet. He rubbed her shell comfortingly as she cried out of frustration. She dry-retched for a few minutes and then slumped against the counter.

"Are you alright?" Leo asked and she nodded, shoving the palm of her hand against her eyes. She was lucky that her bandanna caught most of her tears.

"I just don't wanna be sick, and Sensei's going to think I got sick on purpose because I don't wanna practice, but I really didn't, I hate being sick," she sobbed angrily, one hand curled into a fist.

Leo gave her a soft smile and pulled her towards him for a hug. "No one's blaming you for getting sick," he said soothingly.

"Yes they are…" whined Marie, putting her head against his plastron.

Leo rolled his eyes as he helped her up and led her back to the couch.

Marie leaned against her brother in blue, too tired and ill feeling to actually fight with him. He was a pretty damn good brother, when she was in the mood to accept that fact. Mostly, she just liked to drive him crazy, and he did annoy her at times, just like she seemed to annoy him. But that was her duty, as his little sister - and it was his duty as her older brother to be over-protective.

Leo helped Marie back onto the couch, and went to re-cover her up but she whined.

"No.....I'm hot....." Marie whined softly, her voice hoarse.

"Alright," Leo sighed, draping the blankets at her feet. He watched as she snuggled back up with Mr. Stuffles, seeming groggier than before.

Marie wiped her eyes on her beloved stuffed friend out of habit, and curled up into a little ball.

Leo frowned as he saw her start to shiver. "You're cold," he stated.

"No, I'm not....." Marie argued half-heartedly, though she could feel her body shaking despite the fact she felt so hot.

"I really should cover you up," Leo told her.

"No...." Marie cried softly. "Leo......lie with me......pleeeeeeeeeeeease..........."

Leo smiled somewhat, despite the situation - they may argue plenty, but when sick it was him she always insisted cuddling up to the most. Leo sat her up some, then sat so that her head would be in his lap and he covered her up with one of the lighter blankets. "Better?" He asked, rubbing her shell after seeing her nod.

Michaelangelo chased Catarina around the dojo, throwing well-aimed shurikens at his sister, managing to make contact ninety percent of the time. "I'm winning!" He cheered gleefully.

"You're cheating!" Catarina accused, finally dodging behind a practice dummy after managing to grab up some fallen shurikens. She waited until her brother got close, then pelted him with them causing him to duck and dodge, as his hands immediately came up to try and ward off the attack.

"Rina!" He cried. "Those are my weapon of choice! Now you're cheating!"

Catarina just laughed merrily as she continued to pelt him with the shuriken, chasing him now instead of the other way around. "I told you, I'm going to win!" She exclaimed, running a bit faster to ensure shuriken and shell contact.

Michaelangelo groaned, as he finally took a risk, turning and charging her, then grabbing hold of her shoulders as he flipped over her, landing and flinging her into the air and down onto the mat below their bare feet.

Catarina yelped and grunted, now none too happy. She lie on the ground for a few moments, trying to catch the breath that had left her upon landing - she'd landed hard, and had knocked the wind out of herself.

"Rina?" Mikey checked, as he noticed she was awful silent and listless for a moment or two. "You okay?"

Catarina growled finally as she moved to rub her shoulder, then her plastron, still lying there. "Alright! You win!" She grumbled. "You cheated, but you win!"

"Really?" he asked, surprised that she had given in that easily.

An evil smirk splashed across her beak and she suddenly launched herself at Mikey's legs. He fell to the ground, nearly landing on top of Rina. A wrestling match ensued but even though Rina was extremely flexible, Mikey was stronger. The younger turtle ended up on bottom, Mikey's elbow and upper body weight forcing her to the ground.

"Say it!" Mikey demanded while Rina squirmed.

"Never!" she replied trying to kick him.

"You better say it or we'll be here all day," Mikey said, "I can keep you down for…forever."

"Liar," said Rina but she had to admit that she was stuck. She sighed and stopped struggling, "Fine. Fine, fine, fine, you win. For real this time."

"YES!" Mikey shouted, jumping up and throwing a punch into the air.

Rina rolled her eyes as she climbed to her feet. She straightened her bandanna which had somehow gotten askew during the fight. The pair of turtles looked around the room at the mess they had created.

"Woo, I think we should put it all back in order before Master Splinter gets back," said Mikey as he moved towards one of the weapons racks.

Rina nodded and started racing around, picking up arrows and shuriken.

When they had finished, they walked back into the living room to find Leo and Marie curled up on the couch. Marie was asleep again and Leo was watching some show on TV.

"How is she?" Mikey asked quietly.

Leo frowned, "Not so good, but I'm sure she'll be fine after Sensei and Donnie get back with that stronger medicine."

Mikey sighed and reached down to pat Marie's head. The purple-and-yellow wearing turtle sighed and rubbed her face against her hand.

"Heya, Mikey," she said as she opened her eyes a little bit.

"Hey, kiddo, how ya feeling?" he asked, kneeling down next to the couch.

She shrugged her shoulders and coughed. "My throat hurts," she complained softly.

Mikey smiled encouragingly, "Yeah, well, Sensei and Donnie are going to find something to make you feel better, don't worry." He looked at Leonardo who nodded in reassurance. "And you know, when you get better, you'll be up and about and causing chaos for the rest of us again," continued Mikey.

"Not too much chaos," Leo said, holding up a hand.

"A good amount," put in Mikey.

Rina stood at the end of the couch, not really sure what to do with herself. Not often being sick herself, she didn't feel comfortable around sick people because she didn't know how to help them. "Um, do you want anything from our room, Marie?" she asked, hoping to be helpful. Marie was quiet for a minute then said,

"Yeah, could you get my BSB magazine?"

Rina nodded, "Sure…" She ran off towards their room and came back after riffling through Marie's things to find the magazine. It was covered with BSB pictures; it had been a special edition. She put it on the floor beside her sister.

"Thanks, Rina," mumbled Marie.

"Erm, no problem," Rina said, giving her sister a bit of a smile.

Marie managed a small smile at her sister, to show that she truly was grateful that she'd been willing to fetch the magazine for her.

Catarina smiled a little bigger this time, but she was still wary.

Mikey noticed this and nudged Catarina. "C'mon. Let's go make her something to eat. I'm sure she's starved by now."

"You've no idea....." Marie mumbled, coughing again. "Dammit! I think I just coughed up a lung - anyone want it?"

"Eew!" Catarina shrieked, looking disgusted. She turned and quickly ran for the kitchen, mostly to escape the uneasiness she felt while standing there completely helpless to make her sister feel better.

Michaelangelo laughed and followed Catarina into the kitchen. "She didn't mean literally," he joshed.

Catarina rolled her eyes. "Obviously," she muttered, as she began to look in cupboards to see just what they had to eat.

"Soup and crackers may be best," Mikey piped up after a moment. "Leo said she was sick earlier."

Rina nodded, and began to search for soup. Together, her and Michaelangelo peeled carrots and such, for a big pot of homemade soup - they were out of the canned stuff, and Mikey knew how to make home-made, which was the best kind anyway.

Meanwhile, Donatello and Master Splinter had finally returned, both being as quirt as possible as they weren't sure if Marie was up or not.

"I'm awake," Marie grumbled from the couch, her eyes a little bloodshot from her crying earlier. "Kinda....."

"Good, we didn't want to wake you up," said Donnie, walking over to the couch with Master Splinter by his side. He put his hands on the back of the couch and leaned over to look her up and down. She looked a little worse than she had that morning, which wasn't a good sign. "How are you feeling?" he asked, glancing at Leo who had moved to the end of the couch.

"Fine," replied Marie in a soft voice.

Donnie grinned down at her, "Yeah, I'm sure that's the truth."

"Have you slept any, Marietta?" asked Master Splinter as he placed his hand on her forehead.

"A little," Marie replied, snuggling against her father's touch.

"What did you find?" Leonardo asked, knowing they wouldn't have returned so quickly if they had not found something that they thought would help Marie's illness.

Donatello pulled a half full orange medicine bottle out of his belt. "It's prescription flu medicine," he said, handing it to Leo. "Hopefully, she's not allergic."

There was always the off chance that a human drug wouldn't be compatible with their systems but that had not happened yet. It took all of Donnie and Leo's coaxing abilities and a final order from Master Splinter to persuade Marie to take a couple of the pills with some water. The young turtle in purple and yellow was not happy all. She hunkered down beneath a couple blankets while her brothers and father talked over her head. Her head hurt, her stomach still felt bad, she was dizzy. She groaned in aggravation and cuddled her teddy bear. She dared for someone to call her immature; she'd smack them a good one.

"Mmm, somethan smells good," said Raphael as he walked into the room, his thumbs hooked into his belt as he took a big whiff of the air.

Marie took a tentative sniff. He was right; something smelled delicious.

"Are you hungry?" Leonardo asked. She nodded a little bit and Leonardo left to follow Raphael into the kitchen.

Rina and Mikey had been busy in the kitchen while the others had been trying to force Marie to take her medicine. Rina was sitting on the counter, stirring a bubbling pot of chicken noodle soup while Mikey was actually making bread. He was kneading the dough when Raph walked in.

"Hey, Raph!" said Mikey, pressing his knuckles into the bread. "Whatcha doing?"

"God, you two made that?" asked Raph incredulously.

"Are you implying that the food we cook isn't normally good?" Rina asked, glancing up at her brother curiously.

"Yeah, pretty much," replied Raphael replied, smirking back.

Rina make a face and whacked him with a nearby spatula.

"Is it ready?" asked Leonardo, glancing into the pot.

Rina nodded and motioned for him to get a bowl. "It's ready, but Raphael can't have any. He has insulted me and my cooking skills," Rina said, lifting her chin haughtily into the air.

Raphael poked her in the stomach. "I may've started it, but I also know how to end it, Kid," Raphael reminded her. "So watch it."

Catarina rolled her eyes playfully and stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"Tongue it yer mouth, or I'll rip it out!" Raphael snapped somewhat.

Rina giggled, and handed the ladle to Leonardo, so he could spoon some out into the bowl he'd fetched.

Michaelangelo shook his head at them, smiling. "There's enough for everyone, no need to get cranky Raphie."

"Stuff it, Mikey!" Raphael grunted, jabbing his little brother with a stubby finger.

Mikey yelped and squirmed away. "Trying to make bread here!" He exclaimed.

Leonardo rolled his eyes at the two, as he scooped some soup into the bowl in his hand. "While you two argue over whether Raph gets to eat or not, I'm going to see if Marie can keep this down."

"Here's the crackers, Leo!" Rina chirped, tossing him a bag of animal shaped crackers that April had purchased especially for the girls. “Marie likes them best with soup."

Leonardo shook his head, as he caught the crackers with ease - without spilling the soup or crushing the crackers. "You're lucky we're ninja, or you would've been cleaning up the crumbs and spilled soup," he stated, eyeing his sister warily.

Rina smirked. "Nuh-uh. Klunk could've eaten it, so I wouldn't have to clean it. So, there!" She told him, sticking her tongue out once more, only to have it grabbed by her brother in red. "Ow! Aph! Eggo!" She exclaimed, as he pulled on her tongue a little. "Aph!"

"You were warned," Raphael replied. "Y'all heard me - Leo, Mikey?" Both male turtles nodded their agreement. "See? They agree. You were warned. Yer own fault for not keepin' it where it belongs," Raphael smiled, pulling it just a little bit more.

"OW! THENTHEI!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rina cried, slapping at Raphael's hands in an attempt to free her tongue.

"Raph, just let her go," Leonardo said, as he balanced a bottle of apple juice in the hand that held the crackers. "Sensei doesn't have time to come rescue her right now, and I have to get this food to Marie."

Raph grunted, but finally let her tongue out.

"Ow!" Catarina said finally, after massaging her tongue a little bit. "You big ole Jerk!"

Mikey laughed as he stuck the bread in the oven. "No banging around in here!" He told them. "If you're gonna fight, do it elsewhere. I don't want flat bread!"

Rina glared at her brother in red a moment, before daring to kick him. After kicking him, she quickly hopped down off the counter and made a run for it.

Raphael growled and in turn, high-tailed it out after her. "Get back here Rina, so I c'n pummel yah!"

"Do I look crazy to you!?!?!" Catarina exclaimed, as she flew by Donatello, Master Splinter, and Marie. "No way am I stoppin' so you c'n beat me!"

Raphael stepped on it, cursing the fact she was awful fast as he chased after her. He'd show her! He followed her out into the sewers and ran after her for a while, before realizing where she was going. Upon realizing where she was headed, he took a short cut that he knew of and beat her there, grabbing her as she came flying out of the tunnel she'd been in.

Catarina shrieked when she felt arms grab her, and she immediately began to struggle in an attempt to break free. Oh, boy! This had better not be the Foot, as then she'd be in so much trouble - especially if she couldn't fight her way loose.

"Relax, will yah?" A voice spoke suddenly. "Yeesh!"

Catarina glanced downwards then and spotted three-fingered green hands. "Raph!" She yelled. "You scared me half to death!"

Raphael laughed, as he held her tight beginning to tickle her side.

"Raph!" Catarina shrieked, laughing and squirming about. "That tickles!"

"Good!" Raphael replied, tickling her some more. He smiled as he watched his sister squirm and try to break loose of his grasp - but, he'd a pretty good hold on her, and wasn't through with the tickle torture just yet.

Meanwhile, Leonardo came back out into the den, frowning slightly when he saw that Marie and Master Splinter were no longer there on the couch. He eyed Donatello questioningly.

"Bathroom," Donnie said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

Leonardo sighed and sat the bowl of soup down on the coffee table.

"She's going to throw up those pills she took so she’ll have to take another couple after she eats," Donatello said as he sat down on the arm of the couch. He smiled at Leonardo, "Good luck with getting her to cooperate."

Groaning, Leo flopped back into the arm chair. "What do you think's wrong with her, Donnie?" he asked, looking over at his brother.

"Probably just a virus that she caught in the sewers," Donatello replied, "If treated properly, she should be over it in about a week."

Leo nodded, "Maybe April has some kind of better medicine."

"Perhaps," Donnie said, "It couldn't hurt to call."

Leonardo pulled his shell cell out of his belt and dialed April's number.

"Hello?" asked a female voice.

"April, hey, it's Leo."

"Oh, hey!" said April perkily, "How's my favorite amphibian family?"

"We're all good minus one," he replied, walking around the living room with the phone.

"Oh, are they okay? You didn't run into the Foot, did you? Who was it?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, April," Leo said, smiling at her concern. She was a good friend and she never failed to freak out when she thought one of them was hurt. "Marie's just caught a cold, that's all."

"Oh," said April, sounding quite relieved. Then she erupted again, "How dare you freak me out like that! I thought one of you was really hurt!"

"Sorry, April," Leo said, "Um, you wouldn't happen to have any antibiotics lying around, would you? We're running low down here."

"I could imagine," mumbled April, "Give me a second to check." She laid down the phone to go to her bathroom medicine cabinet.

"What'd she say?" asked Donnie curiously.

Leo shook his head, indicating that he didn't know. April came back on line and he heard something rattling,

"Yeah, I've got a bottle left from the last time I was sick. I don't know if it'll help but you guys can have it."

"Thanks April! We'll send someone to pick it up right now," Leo said, grinning happily.

"Sure, whatever I can do to help," said April.

They hung up and Leo smiled at Donnie, "Got it."

"Got what?" asked Marie as she walked into the room.

"Some really good medicine," said Leo as she stretched back out on the couch.

Marie made a face but then she spotted the soup. It smelled so good and she was sooo hungry. "That looks good, is it homemade?" she asked.

"Duh!" came Mikey's voice from the kitchen, "Only the best!"

Marie smiled and picked up the spoon. At least she could try to eat it.

"Can't-breathe-Raph! Gah! DYING!" yelped Rina, gasping for breath as she laughed.

"Had enough yet?" he asked, digging his fingers into her side.

"Yes, yes! AHH!" she wailed, squirming and kicking as she tried to free herself.

Chuckling, Raphael let her go and she slumped to the ground, exhausted.

"Oh, I hate you," she teased, leaning against the wall.

"Don't complain, you baby," said Raph, nudging her with his foot. "C'mon, I'm hungry," he said, trying to make her get up.

"It's your fault, you could've eaten instead of chasing after me," replied Rina, playing with her bandanna tails.

Raph snorted, "And let you get away with kicking me? Yeah, right, fat chance."

Rina smiled up at him but didn't make any move to get up.

Raph suddenly realized that she didn't want to go back; it was one of those things they had in common, their dislike for being around sick people.

Raphael's shell cell suddenly rang and he grabbed for it. However, Rina was faster and she snatched it out of his belt before he could get it.

"Hello?" she said, winking at her brother. "Oh, hi, Leo! What's up?" She listened to him for a minute then passed the phone over to Raphael. When he raised an eye ridge at her, she shrugged, "He wants us to go to April's."

"That true?" asked Raphael to Leo.

"I wouldn't lie," said Rina while Leo put in an affirmative and explained the situation.

Raphael smiled, "Alright, we'll get right on it." He closed the phone and darted out his hand to grab Rina's bandana knot. "Hehe, guess who gets to go over afternoon practice with you on the way to April's?" he said, grinning at her. Rina let out a groan as Raphael swung his arm around her shoulder, "Haha, at least you're basically not grounded anymore. For today at least."

Catarina smiled a bit at that. "Good, I don't like being grounded....Maybe Sensei's really not all that mad now...." She trailed off. "Since Marie's sick an' all........."

Raphael shrugged. "Who knows with Master Splinter. Jeez, he makes us think even when he's not around."

Catarina laughed a bit at that. "Sometimes too much, right Raph?"

Raphael nodded his agreement, as he did tend to think too much at times - though, usually it was too little. They reached a manhole cover then, and Raphael cautiously peeked out.

"Well, looks clear," he stated. "C'mon."

He lifted the lid aside and climbed out, then turned to wait for his sister, who quickly climbed out after him and replaced the manhole cover. They hurried themselves into the shadows and stealthily made their way to the fire escape and up onto the rooftop.

"C'mon Kid!" Raphael smirked, as he took off running. "Time fer yah practice! Follow the leader!"

Catarina groaned, but hurried after her brother in red, copying him to a tee so as to keep him quiet and satisfied - for now.

The two of them made it to April's in record time, both wearing proud smiles on their faces - though Catarina's smiled was also a tired one.

"Phew! I ain't run like that since Marie an' I were hurrying back home the other night!" Catarina exclaimed.

Raphael laughed. "I can only imagine what you two were up too that night," he said.

Catarina just smiled innocently. "That, you'll never know."

Raphael shook his head, smirking, as he hopped into April's apartment via the open window - she'd left it opened for them. "Hey, Ape! We're here!" He called out, as Catarina came in behind him.

April came out of the kitchen then, carrying the bottle of medicine. "Hey guys," she smiled some. "So, Marie's sick?"

"Yeah," Raphael nodded. "Kid can't keep nothin' down so far - though, she was just eating when we left. Headaches, pale, flushed, dizziness, extremely sore throat, occasional cough.....yanno, the works."

April nodded, looking thoughtful. "Are you guys sure it's just the flue though? I mean, if her throat's as sore as you said, maybe it's her tonsils? Or maybe pneumonia or something else completely."

Raphael shrugged. "We've really no way or knowing....."

Catarina frowned, now feeling a bit more worried than before.

Back in the lair, Marie was once more in the bathroom - this time losing her brunch - the wonderful soup and crackers she'd eaten. She groaned, silent tears streaming down her face as she leaned into Master Splinter who stood holding her hair - Leonardo and Donatello both stood in the bathroom doorway with frowns upon their faces.

"I hate this...." Marie whined, her voice raspy, as she buried her face into her father after having had wiped her mouth. "I'm hungry an' I can't eat......an' my throat feels like there's a huge frog in it........"

Master Splinter patted her back gently. "Shh.....all will be well, my child."

This time, Leonardo scooped her up and carried her back to her room.

"What about the couch?" she asked, peeking over his shoulder.

"You'll sleep better in your own room," replied Leo, trying to give her a reassuring smile. Inwardly, he was really worried about her. They all were. It was so frustrating that they couldn't find a doctor or a veterinarian or whatever they needed like humans could. For as much as they did for the city, they should have at least been able to get medical attention. But no, here they were, scrounging around just to get some medicine for their sister.

Leo laid Marie down in her bed and then covered her up with her blanket. She tried to kick it off but he just tucked it in tighter. "You're sick, y'know," he told her as he sat down on the edge of the bed, "So you have to cover up."

"Am I bad off?" she asked, tears dripping down her face.

Leo sighed and brushed her hair back from her face. "You're going to be fine, don't worry," he said soothingly.

"Are you going to get sick too because you're taking care of me?" Marie asked, sitting up to stare fearfully at her older brother. She didn't want anyone to catch whatever she had.

Leo didn't know if he would or not, but he wanted to keep her calm. "I truly doubt I will," he said truthfully. He smiled at her, "Now, get some sleep. That's the best way to get better. If you need to throw up or anything, I'm going to leave a trashcan by your bed. And I think Sensei's going to come sit with you."

"Thanks, Leo," said Marie, giving him a ghost of a smile.

He smiled back at her, "No problem."

He left the bedroom just as Master Splinter was stepping in, a lit candle in his hand.

"I shall meditate while she sleeps," said Splinter, nodding his head at his oldest son.

Leo returned the nod with a small bow before walking down the hallway to Donnie's lab. The science-oriented turtle was at his computer, Googling away, trying to find a sickness to match Marie's symptoms.

"Find anything yet?" Leo asked, leaning in to peer at the computer screen.

"Nothing official yet," replied Donnie, shaking his head a bit.

Leo sighed and sat down on the edge of a table. "I don't know what to do, Donnie," Leo said, his head lowered.

Donatello could understand what his brother meant. "Yes, but you can't expect her to get better automatically. Getting rid of a disease is a process. Don't worry about it so much today, especially since we're doing everything we can."

Leonardo picked up a machine and fiddled with it. Donatello could always be relied upon to be the voice of reason. "Marie asked me something that I hadn't thought of," said Leo after a few moments of silence.

"And what was that?" Donnie asked, glancing up from the computer screen.

"Do you think it's contagious?" he questioned, tapping the side of the machine.

Donatello hummed for a second and then said, "I don't know, it's possible. We should probably all take Tylenol or something, and Rina should definitely limit contact with Marie. Having Rina sick is the last thing we need."

~~~~~

April handed a couple of magazines to Raphael.

"What's all this crap?" he asked, raising en eye ridge.

"They've got articles about Marie's beloved Backstreet Boys," said April, a smile on her face. As Raphael huffed about her spoiling 'The Brat,' April reached over to the end table and picked up a small novel. She handed it to Rina who beamed a smile as she saw the title.

"Oh, wow, Dragonriders of Pern! Thanks, April!" she exclaimed, hugging the slim human woman.

"No problem, Rina, I knew you'd been wanting it," said April.

"Well, we better get going," Raphael, stirring Rina towards the window. "Thanks again, April."

April shrugged some. "It's the least I can do. Give me a ring if you need anything else, Raph. And tell Marie I hope she feels better."

Raphael nodded, as him and Catarina climbed back out through the window after insuring it was indeed safe to do so.

"Let's go!" Catarina exclaimed, now a burst of energy, as she was more than eager to get back home and read her new book.

"Now she's energetic," Raphael muttered. "If I'd known all it'd take was a book, I'd have given her one sooner."

"It's not just any book, Raph!" Catarina shouted back. "It's Dragonriders of Pern!"

"Quiet, will you!" Raphael snapped. "Daylight! Stealth, Catarina!"

Rina shrunk some, feeling foolish as she had forgotten it was still daylight out, despite the fact the sun was still beating on them, as it began it's afternoon decent into the horizon.

"Sorry," she mumbled, stuffing the book into her shell for safe keeping.

"Let's go," Raphael said finally, once he was sure he wasn't going to lose anything.

The two of them used the shadows once more to keep hidden, as they made their way home. Upon reaching the sewers, they picked up their pace, as they knew their way around quite well by now - they'd be insane not to know shortcuts, considering they'd lived there their whole lives. The two entered the lair, both concerned when they realized no one was in the den and Marie was no long lying upon the couch.

"Donnie?" Raphael called out.

"In here!" Donatello called back from his lab, where he and Leo still were, trying to look up Marie's symptoms to figure out just what was wrong with her.

"We're back," Raphael stated, as he set the bottle of medicine down upon Donatello's desk. "Here. April sent this along; she thinks it may help.....though, she asked if it were Marie's tonsils or pneumonia first....." He shrugged. "How're we to know, yanno?"

Catarina shifted slightly. "I'm gonna be in your room, Leo," she informed him and her other two brothers. "April gave me Dragonriders of Pern!" She beamed. "I'm anxious to read it, and Raph gave me a good workout on the way there, so I think that can count as afternoon practice, right?"

Leonardo nodded. "Alright. Just steer clear of your room, and don't go near Marie. We don't know if she's contagious yet or not."

"Okay," Catarina spoke softly, quickly turning and heading for Leo's room to go and read her book.

Once in Leo's room she opened her book with a smile and settled down to read. She couldn't believe her luck! Her grounding might as well be off, and she'd finally gotten the book she'd wanted since forever! The only down part was she couldn't go near her room or her sister.

"Hey, Marie still up?" Raphael asked, as he turned to leave the lab. "April sent along some magazines with them annoying as Hell, Backstreet Boys."

"Yeah, she probably is," Leonardo answered. "She's with Sensei in her room. We moved her there, so she'd be out of the way and just in case she's contagious."

"She'll sleep better too," Donatello piped up. "And don't stick around her long, Raph. We definitely don't need you getting sick too."

Raphael rolled his eyes, and left the room. "I never get sick," he muttered.

"Yeah, you're too mean for germs to go near you!" Michaelangelo chirped, having had heard his brother.

Raphael whacked him with the magazines as he walked by, entering the girls' room moments later, softening some when he saw Marie looking back at him from where she lie in bed, half out of it, in an attempt to be closer to their Father who sat upon the floor meditating.

"Hey, Sensei, may I come in?" Raphael asked, looking down at Master Splinter.

The rat nodded slowly, giving his consent. He stood up and picked up the candle from the floor. He put it on the stand in between the two girls' beds and leaned down to kiss his daughter's forehead. "I will check on you soon," he promised before leaving.

"Hai, Sensei," she whispered, pressing her head against her hands.

After their father left, Raphael sat down on the side of the bed. "Feeling crummy, kid?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I guess. I've been better."

Raphael smirked, "There, ya see. There's the difference."

"What?" she asked, not really knowing what he was talking about.

"The difference between you and me. See when I'm sick, I'm a sarcastic jerk. But you, you actually tame down a bit. Sorta nice if you ask me," he said, grinning down at her.

"I'm sarcastic!" she exclaimed, put out that she wasn't exactly like her brother. He had been her role model ever since she was little.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," muttered Raphael, crossing his arms over his plastron. They sat there in silence for a little while before Raphael cleared his throat. "You know, I didn't mean to get angry with ya yesterday. I wouldn't really hit you," he apologized.

"I know," Marie said, "You were worried. But that don't mean you can take it out on me."

Raphael rolled his eyes, "Hey, no one said I was taking stuff out on you." He patted her on the shoulder and pulled the blanket up around her. "Just get better, alright, kid?" he said, brushing the side of his hand against her face gently.

"Mmhmm, sure," mumbled Marie, pressing her face into her pillow as Raphael left the room.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. The rest of the family tried to go about normally, but it was always strange carrying on minus one. Marie's energetic and rebellious spirit was missed and they were all worried about her. Eventually, everyone ended up in bed and asleep.

Rina was having trouble sleeping in Leonardo's bed. It was lumpier than hers and she missed her blanket. Not to mention it was weird sleeping in a room without her sister. Grumbling, Rina sat up and punched her pillow. She'd almost be better switching places with Leo and sleeping on the couch. As restless as they come, she opened the door and let in a gust of the cool night from the hallway. That was when she heard whimpering coming from her and Marie's room. The concrete was cold on her bare feet as she walked towards the room but she was used to it. She had lived with that for years. Reaching their door, she pressed her head up against the door. Yep, Marie was definitely whimpering. Confused, Rina cracked the door open and crept into the room.

Marie was asleep but she was having a nightmare. Scenes were flashing in front of her eyes; sometimes she was a participant, sometimes she was just watching. There were humans in white coats, their hands were cold but their eyes were colder. They looked at her as if she were an animal… They picked her up, held her, weighed her, hit her, played with her, measured her, always watching, always writing stuff down on pieces of paper. Taking notes. Something was deliberate in all their actions; she hated them. They made her afraid. Marie saw another turtle, a younger Rina. She watched the humans take her sister, stick needles in her, carry her away. She was more afraid when Rina wasn't there. There were other turtles, not her brothers, but her age. Where was she? A face loomed in front of hers; it was this man's face that scared Marie the most. He was laughing, as if he thought her terror was funny. A knife appeared in his hand and he suddenly lunged for Marie.

Back in her bed, Marie sat up and screamed, her bloodcurdling, banshee cry ringing through the sewers like a death shriek. She saw a pair of hands reaching for her and she lashed out, kicking the torso of the person and sending them crashing off the bed.

While Marie had been having a nightmare, Rina had been contemplating what to do. She should've have gone to get Master Splinter or Leo or Raph but she opted to stay, crawling up onto the bed beside her sister.

"Please, Marie, shhh," she said, wrapping her arms around Marietta and holding her in a hug as she tried to thrash about. Why wasn't anyone else awake? She couldn't leave Marie alone like that. She heard Marie mutter her name and she only held her tighter. When Marie ripped away from her and screamed, Rina had screamed too, startled by her sister's violent awakening. She was completely caught off guard when Marietta kicked her. She fell off the side of the bed, landing on the bed stand, which caused the lamp and other various things on the stand to fall off. She ended up in a heap on the floor, her wide eyes staring up at Marie who was still screaming. There was noise in the hallway and the door was flung wide open. However, from her position on the floor, Rina couldn't see who it was.

Raphael burst into the room immediately, his sai drawn and ready to strike anyone who dare be in the room threatening his kid sister.

"Who's there?" He demanded in a low, menacing growl.

"Raph....?" Marie whimpered feeling and sounding confused, her voice still hoarse and scratchy.

Raphael eyed the room momentarily, before flicking the light switch on, after having had breathed a sigh of relief. "Rina?!?!" He exclaimed. "What're you doin' in here?"

Catarina looked up, sighing in relief as she brushed her bangs out of her face. "Tryin' to make her feel better," she answered, dusting herself off as she slowly got up. "She was whimpering and I had to make sure she was okay."

"I'm sorry, Rina," Marie whispered softly, indicating the fact she'd kicked her sister and sent her flying.

Catarina shrugged somewhat. "I'm okay....are you okay?"

"I-I don't know....." Marie answered honestly, as her other brothers and father all came into the room - all had heard the girls' screams.

"What is going on?" Master Splinter asked, as confused as everyone else. "Catarina......"

"Don't be mad at her, Sensei, please," Marie pleaded, her eyes filling with tears. "She was just tryin' to help......I just didn’t know it was her......I-I thought she was - somebody else....."

"What happened, Runt?" Raphael asked, as he moved to sit next to her.

Marie immediately snuggled in and clung to him tightly. "I don't know......I was in this - this room, an' these humans were - were doin' stuff to us. To Rina an' I. They were hurtin' us, and we were just lil', an' they wouldn't stop and the scariest dude kept laughing. He thought everything was funny, but it hurt soooooooo bad! Then they took Rina from me! They stuck her with needles and everything an' I couldn't do nothin' to help her! They took Rina!" She cried, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Mae-Mae, I'm right here," Catarina assured her sister, going and kneeling before her, a hand on her knee. "Nobody took me anywhere. It was just a bad dream."

"It was real, Rina!" Marie wailed softly, unaware of everyone but Raphael and Catarina at the moment. "They had you an' I couldn't save you! I couldn't do nothin'! And everything hurt soooo much! Raph's right - all I'm ever gonna do is get you into trouble! I'ma be the one who gets you killed!"

Raphael groaned, remembering the argument from the day before.

"He didn't mean it, Marie," Catarina assured her sister, looking into the other girl's glazed over hazel eyes. "He was upset, and you know better than anyone how he gets when he's upset - you mimic him all the time."

Marie shuddered then. "You didn't see what they were doin' to us!" She told her sister. "We were so small and so helpless! There were other turtles too, like us! But they seemed to wanna hurt us the most!"

"We'll be okay.....we're ninja, remember?" Rina smiled at her sister. "We know how to kick some shell!"

Marie gave her a small smile in return. "An' Raph an' Leo will hunt 'em down, an' Mikey an' Donnie will tackle 'em an' make 'em eat worms!"

"Y-Yeah.....Okay," Rina nodded, though she was confused by the childish bit of her sister's statement, though she knew the other girl despised worms with a passion. Catarina glanced at the others, shrugging slightly, not sure what else to do.

"Donnie, she's burnin' up....." Raphael stated then, as he could literally feel the heat radiating off her body. "Like a volcano full of lava."

Marie reached for her blanket then, as she snuggled into Raph a bit more, seeking warmth. "It's cold in here!" She whined pitifully. Everyone raised their eyebrows.

"Catarina, I suggest you go back to bed," Master Splinter spoke finally. "We do not want for you to fall ill as well."

Catarina was about to protest; if her brothers could stay, why couldn't she?

"Yeah, c'mon Rina," Michaelangelo smiled. "We can go have some hot chocolate to calm us down."

"Okay," Rina agreed after a moment's hesitation. She turned to her sister then. "If you need me, just call, okay?"

Marie nodded, shuddering again.

"Love you, Mae-Mae," Rina said softly, giving her sister a brief hug.

Marie returned it, mumbling her response, "Love you, Kitty."

Catarina left then, though still worried, and went to make some hot chocolate with Michaelangelo.

Master Splinter came to the bedside and sat down on the other side of his daughter. Raphael was right; the young mutant's skin felt as if she was on fire. "We need to bring down this fever," Splinter said, rubbing his hand against the young turtle's arm.

"In hospitals, they usually bring down fevers with ice packs," said Donatello, leaning against the doorway as he thought about a remedy.

"I'm already cold, Donnie…" complained Marie. She was under the impression that they were going to cover her with ice.

Donnie shook his head. "No, but what about a bath?" he said, holding up a hand and looking at Master Splinter, "Just a lukewarm one with some ice in it. I read online that you can bring fevers down that way."

"Anything's worth a try," Leonardo said, nodding his head in agreement with the idea.

"C'mon, Runt," Raphael said as he swung Marie's arm around his shoulders and picked her up into his arms.

"Where're we going?" she asked, glancing around with tired eyes.

"Bathtub," Raph said, giving her a grin, "Yeah, don't make much sense to me either but Donnie seems t'think it'll help."

"Okay…" replied Marie though she didn't sound so sure.

Donatello ran a tub full of warm-ish water while Raphael sat Marie on the side of the tub and untied her bandanna.

Master Splinter stood beside Marietta, whispering encouragement to her. When the bath was full, Raphael picked up Marie again and slipped her into the water.

"Shit!" she yelped as her feet touched the surface. She glared accusingly at Donatello, "It's freezing!"

"Actually, no, it's warmer than it should be," Donnie said, calm even as she scowled murderously at him, "It has to be somewhat cold to bring your fever down."

Marie continued to frown at him as she was set further down into the water. "It's still cold," she said, her teeth chattering.

Donnie smiled at her, "It's for your own good."

"Cold isn't good," she mumbled back, her arms crossed under the water.

Raphael volunteered to stay with her for the thirty minutes that Donatello had prescribed. He sat beside the tub, his shell to the side as he watched the door. After a moment, he gave a snort of laughter.

"What?" asked Marie, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Nothing, just didn't think you this were this weak," Raphael mused. He was going to attempt to use her own stubbornness to make her fight this sickness.

"I'm not weak," Marie replied.

"Could've fooled me," said Raphael, putting his hands behind his head.

"I'm not!" she exclaimed hoarsely, splashing a bit of water at him.

"Then prove it by getting better, ya runt," he told her, ignoring the splashes of water.

"Fine, I will," Marie snapped angrily, glaring at the back of his head.

Master Splinter decided to make an herbal tea for everyone to drink but instead of making it in the kitchen, he opted to make it in his room.

Leonardo and Donatello retired to the kitchen to find Mikey and Rina sitting at the table, sipping on hot chocolate. Mikey had managed to get Rina laughing; it was obvious from the giggle that was lingering on her lips.

"So how's Marie?" asked Mikey, getting up to get two more cups from the cabinets.

Leo let out a sigh as he sat down at the table. "Her fever's bad. She's taking a bath now to bring it down," he replied, "Hopefully the bath and some medicine will help her fight it off."

"Yeah, Marie'll be fine!" said Mikey with a bright smile as he poured some hot water into the cups, "I'm not worried." He then added the pouches of hot chocolate and a couple of marshmallows.

After handing the mugs over to his brothers, he sat back down next to Rina. The turtle in the sky-colored bandanna was twirling her spoon around her cup of hot chocolate, not really drinking it. Donatello noticed that Rina's fingers were trembling.

"Are you alright, Rina?" Donnie asked, looking at his sister over his cup of hot chocolate.

"It's nothing, just something Marie said," mumbled Rina.

"Did it shake you up that bad?" Leo questioned.

She put her head down into her hands and shoved her hair back, "It's nothing. It's just…I hate needles. Marie mentioned them and now I can get them out of my head. It's stupid, isn't it, to be afraid of some little metal thing? But I am. I hate everything about them, I mean, everything. I hate how they feel when they slide under my skin and how they shine and people who hold them." She shivered involuntarily and attempted to smile before taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Not that you guys didn't already know that," she mumbled into the cup.

"Aw, Kitty," Michelangelo said, slinging an arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

Donatello sighed into his hot chocolate. He knew that Rina was a blenophobic; it was her greatest fear. They avoided having needles around her whenever possible. Last time they had to sew up her arm, she had turned an awful shade of white and passed out.

"Change of subject...." Leonardo piped up finally. "How's that book April gave you, Rina?"

Catarina gave her brother a grateful look along with a small smile. "Fantastic! Best book ever, if you ask me!"

"Which he did," Donatello smiled, as he sipped his own hot chocolate.

Catarina tossed a marshmallow at him, giggling when it bounced off his beak.

Donatello quickly snatched the offending marshmallow up and popped it into his mouth. "I love these things!" He confirmed, as he dug a second out of his mug.

Michaelangelo laughed. "We can tell, Dude."

Donatello shrugged. "So I've a sweet tooth," Donatello said. "Not like I'm the only one around here who does."

Catarina smiled; it was times like now she was glad her brothers could carry on conversations on just about anything and everything - they were also good at getting her mind off things, even if only momentarily.

"And what are you smiling about?" Leonardo asked his sister, as their brothers went on to argue over who had the sweetest sweet tooth.

"Nothing," Catarina smirked. "Just how you guys can talk about anything, and easily distract me from scarier matters."

Leonardo smiled, as he downed the last of his hot chocolate. "It's our job to make you not so scared, Rina," he reminded her. "If we didn't, we wouldn't be very good big brothers, now would we?"

"No, I guess not," Catarina shrugged somewhat, a smile still upon her face. "But I'm glad you are good brothers - heck, better than good - Great!"

"Thanks for the compliment," Leonardo said, still smiling. "We do our best - even if some don't appreciate it all that often."

"Well, just don't track us anymore, and if you're going too, let us know first," Catarina told him. "Then we wouldn't be so mad about it. Well, I wouldn't be.....can't promise you about Marie though......."

Marie sat stubbornly in the tub still, doing her very best not to let on just how cold and sick she truly felt. She was desperate to prove to her brother in red that she was not a weakling! She may not be just as strong as he is, but she is still strong enough to defeat enemies - even enemies such as evil sicknesses. She sat there focusing all her energy on not shivering, when finally she could take it no longer. She moved and started to get out of the tub some, only to be stopped by her brother.

"Hey, hey....yer still pretty damn hot there.......An' you still got ‘bout 'nother ten minutes or so, Marie," Raphael stated, blocking her from getting out of the tub.

Marie signaled wildly to the toilet, communicating as best she could without throwing up all over him.

Raphael got the hint and quickly helped her over to the porcelain throne, holding her hair for her as she was sick once more. Soon as she had finished and had assured him she was fine, he stuck her back into the tub surprised she didn't protest - too much.

Once Marie was back in the tub, Raphael resumed his spot sitting next to the tub, in order to keep her company and to ensure she remained in there for the allotted time period.

Marie sat still as stone once back in the tub, as a wave of dizziness overcame her. She could hear her brother going on about something, but couldn't manage to focus on his words. She placed her hands to her head for a moment, in an attempt to steady her brain, but to no avail as she fell forward anyway. Seconds after her dizzy spell had hit, Raphael heard an unexpected and loud SPLASH! coming from behind him.

"Damn!" Raphael snapped as he whipped around to find Marie splashing around in the water, gasping for breath. He reached down and pulled her out of the bathtub, hauling her out onto the rug on the floor. She spat some water out of her mouth and clung to him. "You alright?" he asked, hugging her tightly. It had scared him that she had dropped under the water. "I think that's a good enough bath," he said, helping her to stand up.

"You think?" she growled groggily, leaning heavily against him.

He led her back to her room and tucked her into bed. "Yeah, so, you take these…" he handed her a couple of pills, "and no more hurlin'. Got it?"

Marie eyed the pills for a second before taking them. "Will you stay until I fall asleep?" she asked as he pulled the blanket up around her shoulders.

"Sure, I'll be right here," he said. He sat on the bed and waited until she fell asleep.

The next morning, the turtle clan got up at the same time as usual. Master Splinter didn't allow them to sleep late even though they had all been up the night before. It was a lethargic group of turtles that was moving around the lair in the morning.

"Y'know, it's about 6 c'lock at night on the surface," said Mikey, leaning his head against his hand, "Some people are going to bed right now. People in Britain are probably sleeping!"

"Well, we're awake, Mikey, so suck it up," Leo said, his hands wrapped around his coffee mug.

Mikey glared at him from behind a bowl of Captain Crunch.

Rina was sitting at the table, idly eating some cereal and drinking chocolate milk. Raphael was chugging down some orange juice while Donatello scoured the shelves for something to chew on. A granola bar would've been nice… Master Splinter was with Marie in her room, watching over her.

Marie slept fitfully, her fever rising and lowering off and on all night - though, she hadn't needed anymore baths since the one the day before, where she would've drowned had Raphael not pulled her out so quick.

"Aha! Found one!" Donatello exclaimed, yanking a granola bar out of the one cupboard - it had been hidden all the way in the back.

"What're you so chipper 'bout this mornin'?" Raphael grumbled, tired and cranky, as he had spent most the night with Marie, until Master Splinter had finally sent him to bed.

Donatello held up his prized breakfast, unwrapping it happily.

Raphael grunted. "All that over a stupid health bar."

"It's a whole lot better than what you ate, Raphael," Donatello stated, taking a bite of his apple raisin granola bar.

"Yanno, if it weren't fer the fact I know yah gotta sweet tooth, I'd swear you was a health nut," Raphael said sarcastically. "Though, I wouldn't be surprised if yah dumped health shit in yer sweet stuff too."

Rina snickered slightly at that as she took a sip on her chocolate milk. She wouldn't be all that surprised either, as Donnie enjoyed healthy stuff almost as much as Leo - though, he did seem to enjoy the sweets almost as much as Marie too.

"Well, we'd best hurry it up and get practicing," Leonardo piped up finally. "The sooner we start, the sooner we can get out on patrol and other important things."

"I say we visit April!" Rina chirped, scooping cereal onto her spoon. "We don't get to see her often enough."

Leonardo raised an eye ridge at her. "Aren't you still grounded?" He asked.

Rina shrugged. "No idea. Seems Sensei's forgotten all about it since Marie got sick," she smiled. "So, I think it's safe to say it's off, and I'm free to roam - somewhat."

"You still have extra practice though," Leo pointed out. "And I've already informed Sensei I would be with you during that today, to help you improve some of your skills that need to be worked on."

Rina groaned. It figured Leo would only want to focus on what she'd done wrong - she wished Mikey was going to train with her instead, as it'd been fun when it was just the two of them. Mikey knew how to train and have fun and goof off some - like her and her sister did all the time, when they'd the chance.

After breakfast, the siblings headed off into the dojo to start practicing. Stretching and katas were fine, but they ran into a rather common dilemma when it came to sparring. With only five of them, not everyone could have a sparring partner.

"Alright, Donnie, you and Rina go at it, and Me, Raphael, and Mikey will have a three-way spar," said Leonardo, taking the position of leader yet again.

"Aye-aye, Captain!" said Mikey, saluting Leo as if he were in charge of a ship rather than a group of mutant teenagers.

The two teams split up and started going through the motions of sparring. Whenever Rina sparred with Donnie, she would use her bow as a regular bo staff. She could hit and parry just as Donnie did as long as she remembered to unstring it before she started using it as a bo. It was an interesting way for her to fight, but Master Splinter insisted that she learn how so she would have yet another weapon at her disposal. In Marie's room, Master Splinter was patting his daughter's head with a cool cloth. Her fever was less erratic than it had been the previous night, but it hadn't broken yet. Graciously, she was still asleep, her plastron rising and falling with a steady breath.

Donnie was busy swinging his bo staff at his younger sister's head while she was using all her speed and agility to avoid it.

"Use your bow!" he said, twisting his staff and thrusting at her.

She sprang backwards in a handspring and grinned at him, "Y'know, sometimes running away is the best defense," she said, dancing away from his swinging bo.

He smirked as he landed a blow to her foot, sending her hopping around the dojo. "Or not," he replied, leaning on his staff.

She smiled and held her bow out, "Fine, fine, we'll do it your way." Now the sound of two wooden objects crashing together was added on top of the din made by the clashing of metal made by Raphael and Leonardo's weapons.

Michaelangelo stood back, twirling a nunchuck on his finger while watching his two brothers spar. He'd managed to step back and out of the way without either of them noticing. He gave a tired yawn, only to be whacked over the head by the blunt side of a katana.

"Ow!" He exclaimed.

"Wake up, Mikey!" Leonardo ordered, though he was smiling.

"What? Yah think we didn't see yah slackin' off to the side, dimwit?" Raphael commented, a wry smirk on his face. "We see all, an' know all Mikey."

Mikey groaned, as he rubbed his head where he'd been hit by Leo's katana. "Man, I'm so not in the mood for this today," he said, sighing heavily. He was usually the happy-go-lucky jokester, but he was just too tired to be up to his usual hyper status today. "I'm so takin' a nap when we're done."

Raphael snorted. "Maybe you oughta join Marie, all she seems to be doin' in sleepin' - though, can't say I blame the Runt, what with the way she's feelin'."

"Wow, Raph had a sympathetic moment!" Mikey gasped playfully, unable to resist, despite how tired he felt. "Who knew it was even possible!?!?"

"I'll show you possible!" Raphael growled, charging Michaelangelo, who in turn screamed and took off running.

Rina glanced over, as Donatello paused for a moment to see what was going on. She smirked at her other two brothers, but then seized the moment and use it to her advantage, by whacking Donatello right behind his knee with her bow, causing him to fall to his knees.

Donatello looked up, and though that had hurt, he couldn't help but smile, "Good one," he told her. "Use the enemy’s distraction to your advantage."

Rina smirked. "Well, duh! We learned that back when we were seven!"

Donnie laughed. "How could I forget that?" He chuckled. "I thought Sensei was going to kill us for not paying attention."

"Not our fault y'all decided you'd rather play video games than Pirates," she reminded him. "Besides, it's not like we went that far off into the sewers."

“Was far enough to make Sensei angry and for all of us to end up grounded for quite a while," Donatello replied, shaking his head. "You two sure had some crazy games you loved to play."

"Yeah...." Rina smiled wistfully. "Sometimes, I kinda wish we could go back to those days.....They sure were a lotta fun!"

Marietta stirred slightly in her sleep, her stomach rumbling from lack of food and fluids, as she hadn't been able to keep a thing down - except the last bit of medicine she'd taken. "Mmm....." She whined sleepily, rolling over and snuggling into her Father's warmth.

Master Splinter smiled down at his little rebel - which she'd always be no matter how old she got - and patted her shell gently, while still running the cool cloth against her forehead. "How are you feeling, my daughter?" He asked, knowing she was awake, just not opening her eyes.

"Feel like crap," Marie just barely managed to whisper, which was a struggle in itself because of her throat. She gave a soft whine, as she swallowed around what felt like a huge golf ball in her throat. "Feels like my throat's becomin' claustrophobic an' closin' in on me....." She struggled to croak out.

"There, there," Master Splinter soothed patting her shell some more, though he frowned some. "All will be well, if we can keep your fever down, my child."

"It went up?" Marie asked, confused. Her mind was still foggy on the night's events and she was still mighty cold.

Master Splinter sighed a little bit, as he pulled a blanket up on his sick child. "Shh....rest, child."

"Hungry....." Marie whined a little bit.

Master Splinter gave a small smile at that - she could whine quite well when she wanted too. "I will ask Michaelangelo to make you something to eat, once he is done with his practice."

By now, Leonardo, Donatello, and Catarina had all moved to the center of the dojo while Mikey and Raphael ran around the outside.

"I bet five dollars that Raph catches Mikey in the next five minutes!" Rina declared, looking up at her two brothers.

"You're on. Mikey's faster," said Donatello, sticking his hand out for a handshake. Rina shook it, sealing the deal, and grinned brightly.

"Yeah, but Raph's madder," she said, turning her eyes back towards the race.

"What definition of mad are you referring to?" asked Donnie, a smirk playing on his beak.

Rina toyed with the end of her bow, "I'll let you figure that out on your own."

Mikey was pumping his arms and legs, trying to stay away from his furious brother.

"RAAAGHH!!" Raphael roared, suddenly flying off his feet and tackling Mikey to the ground. Mikey yelped as Raphael wrapped his arm around his neck and gave him a royal noogie.

Rina poked Donnie in the side, "Five bucks."

"How about ice cream?" he asked and she laughed at him.

"Five bucks!" she repeated, smirking brightly at him. Faster than she could watch, he swung his bo around and knocked her upside the head. "Ow…" she mumbled rubbing at her head.

“Accident," said Donnie, shrugging as he reached out a hand to help her up.

After practice, Rina raced down the hallway to check on Marie. The door was open so she leaned inside and knocked on the wall.

"Come in, Catarina," said Master Splinter.

"Hey, Sensei," she said as she stepped in through the doorway. She didn't go any farther than the door. "Is Marie…"

"I'm not asleep," Marie's soft voice interrupted.

Rina frowned; she wasn't used to hearing Marie so quiet. Usually, the purple and yellow bandanna’d turtle was running around, screaming or yelling or at least laughing. "Hey, Marie, how ya feeling?" she asked, toeing the ground.

"Zat the only question everyone knows?" mumbled Marie and Rina laughed.

"I suppose it's the only one that matters at the moment," she replied, smiling in the direction of her sister.

"I feel bad," said Marie, burrowing her head into her pillow.

Rina sighed and played with the doorframe. "Well, you better get well really soon," exclaimed Rina, "I had to spar Donnie today. Of course, I trumped him." She noticed Master Splinter's raised eyebrow and amended her statement, "We had a good fight."

"I wish I could've sparred," said Marie, holding her teddy bear.

"Me too! I miss you…" said Rina, leaning against the doorframe.

"Miss you too," whispered Marie.

Rina stood there for a moment before Master Splinter told her to tell Mikey to make something for Marie. The turtle girl raced off down the hallway to go get Mikey to make Marie some food.

Mikey groaned playfully, dramatically placing a hand against his forehead. "Is that all I am to anyone anymore? The chef?"

Raphael smacked Mikey upside the head. "Who the Hell's callin' yah a Chef, Mikey?"

"Ow!" Mikey exclaimed, rubbing his head. "What's with everybody hittin' me today? I'ma tell Sensei y'all keep hitting my head!"

"It's hard 'nough, surprised yah even felt anything," Raphael comment. "An' Sensei'd tell yah to pay better attention, doofus."

Mikey stuck his chin in the air then. "Hmph! Come Rina, we've something delicious to make for Marie, and none for Raph!"

Raphael shrugged. "Don't matter," he replied, turning and heading down the hallway after he'd seen Leo and Donnie leave the doorway to the girl's room. He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his plastron as he leaned against the wall.

"How yah feelin', Kid?" He asked gruffly, knowing she was awake by the way she kept snuggling into Master Splinter's lap.

Marie tensed slightly, unsure of how to answer, as she didn't want to appear weak - her body stiffening didn't go unnoticed by their Father though. "Okay....." She lied, trailing off somewhat, though her voice was worse than it had been when he'd last talked to her.

Master Splinter eyed his two pupils, as his one hand still rubbed circles on Marie's shell - when she'd been younger, it was the only way to calm her - and even now it still seemed to do wonders for the stubborn turtle girl.

Raph grunted, knowing she was lying and figured he knew why, but didn't comment on it. "If yah need somethan to read later, I left the magazines April sent for yah on yer night table," he informed her.

"Backstreet Boys?" Marie rasped hopefully.

Raphael gave a curt nod. "Yup."

Marie flashed him as big a smile as she felt she could manage, without draining all her energy. "Tell her I said thanks."

"Sure thing, Small Fry," Raphael replied, smirking when he saw her half roll her eyes - he enjoyed calling her all the little 'short' pet names and knew she enjoyed it too, though she wouldn't always admit it. "Well, I'm off. Yah need anything, send 'em to the garage or call my shell cell. Later, Kid."

Marie waved a hand at him haphazardly.

Back in the kitchen, Mikey was re-heating up some left-over soup for Marie.

"What're you up too today, Rina?" He asked, feeling a bit more awake and cheerful now.

Rina shrugged. "I don't know. Just - whatever," she told him. "I might read some more, and of course watch some television. And I still got extra practice with Leo, but he said that it could wait until later on."

"Whatcha say we go and' pay April a visit?" Mikey smiled, fetching the bowl of soup from the microwave. "I'm sure she could use some company, and we don't see her enough."

"Really?" Rina asked hopefully. She always delighted in visiting April, as it meant she'd an older female to talk too and seek advice from.

"Of course!" Mikey grinned. "Just let me get the soup to Marie, and clear it with Splinter, and we'll be off!"

"Sweet!" Rina exclaimed, running off to go and get the gift she had for April.

After clearing it with Master Splinter and giving Marie her bowl of soup, Mikey and Rina headed off to visit April for a while - after having called ahead to ensure she would indeed be home.

Marie sipped carefully at the bowl of soup. She was starving, that was true, but she didn't want to be sick again. She hated retching and she couldn't decide which was worse, dry heaving or actually barfing something up. Ugh…she didn't even like to think about it.

"Eat slowly, Marietta," cautioned Master Splinter from where he was sitting on the floor as she reached for the glass of Sprite by her bedside. The clear carbonated drink was good when you were trying to settle the stomach. Maybe her stomach would be cooperative and would calm down. She still felt hot and cold alternately but it was much better than it had been the previous night. Well, better than what she could remember. She did remember glimpses of her terrifying dream and the feelings it had brought up inside of her. It seemed so real…

"Does the soup not agree with you?" asked Master Splinter as Marie set her spoon down in the bowl.

She shook her head, "No, it's great, but Sensei…" She faltered, not really knowing what to ask.

"Go on, my child, I am listening," he said, standing up from the cross-legged position.

Marie nibbled on her bottom lip and then began. "I was just wondering…where did Rina and I come from?" she asked, training her bright green eyes on her father figure.

Master Splinter smiled as he sat down on the side of her bed. "I do not know, my daughter. As I have told you before, you and your sister were found in the sewers by your brothers. You seemed to be taken care of, but you were afraid." He leaned over and brushed the girl's hair back, "I do not know exactly where you come from, my child, but you are still my daughter."

"But what if the…the nightmare I had last night was memories?" she asked, clenching the blanket in her hands, "What if that place was where Rina and I are from?"

Master Splinter sighed and bowed his head, "Perhaps they are latent memories, Marietta. But we cannot dwell on the past. Do not worry about the men or women in your dreams. They are not here now and they cannot get you." He patted his daughter's hand. "You must sleep now. You are still very sick," he said insistently.

"But Sensei…" Marie began but Master Splinter shook his head. When he left the room with her bowl of soup, Marie was left with her confusing thoughts. She eventually fell asleep but she could still remember that man's face, grinning as he hurt her and Rina.

Rina and Mikey set off over the tops of the roofs, staying to the shadows for the most part. Overhead, the full moon was visible, meaning that not a single star could be seen. For once, they didn't turn the run into a competition. When they got to April's apartment, the window was already open for them. The neighbors would have only thought that April was trying to catch a breeze.

"Hey April!" exclaimed Rina, looking around the room as she slipped in through the window.

Mikey was right behind her, accidentally knocking his shell against the window frame. He whipped around and began checking the glass for breaks.

"I heard that, Mikey!" shouted April from the bedroom.

Finding a split in the window frame, Mikey flashed an innocent grin at Rina, "Hehe, let's just pretend that didn't happen."

"Rina, what'd he break?" April as she walked in, tying her hair up into a ponytail.

Rina grinned as she sat down on a stool at the island bar. "He didn't reeeally break anything," she said, twirling the ends of her bandanna around her finger.

"See, April, I wouldn't break your stuff," Mikey said, standing squarely in front of the window.

"Yeah, just crack it," Rina put in and Mikey gave her a look of betrayal while she grinned.

April sighed but waved it off. Her last house had been torn apart because of the turtles; a little busted window frame wasn't all that bad. "It's okay. Hungry?" she asked as she started to move around the kitchen.

"Sure!" both Mikey and Rina exclaimed.

"How does ramen sound?" she said, pulling a pot out from a cabinet near the stove.

"Like heaven," said Mikey as he sat down at the other seat at the bar.

"Good. I was getting hungry," replied April with a smile. Being a great multi-tasker, April could talk and cook at the same time without burning anything. "How is everyone back at the lair though? Is Marie any better?" she asked as she turned on the stove with a flick of her wrist.

Mikey and Rina glanced at each other. They didn't want to worry April, but she had asked.

"She's okay, I guess," said Mikey, shrugging his shoulders, "Not much better, but maybe she's over the worst of it."

"That's good, maybe she'll feel better in a few days," said April, smiling reassuringly.

Rina nodded and then remembered the gift she had stored around in her belt. "Oh, April, I brought these for you," she said as she reached into a pouch and pulled out a pair of senbon. They were black with the gold kanji for 'spring' etched on the side.

"Oh, wow, Rina, thank you!" April said as she picked up the black senbon. "They're great."

Rina smiled, "Well, since Master Splinter taught you to use them, I'd thought you'd probably like a pair that you could wear when you're out somewhere. A kunoichi's best weapon is a disguised weapon," she said, quoting Master Splinter with a tired roll of her eyes.

April nodded and pocketed the slender weapons. "I'll wear them often."

"Hey, you never wear that sweater I got you last Christmas!" exclaimed Mikey with a mock hurt tone.

"No, that's because it's…umm…" April began the sentence but couldn't finish.

"In the exact words of Raphael, 'It looks like the damn cat ate it and spat it back up again,'" declared Rina, smirking at Mikey.

Mike thumped her in the arm and it soon became an all-out war.

"Hey-Hey!" April exclaimed. "Enough you two. You're going to break something!"

"Maybe you should put less valuables out," Mikey chirped, swatting Rina one last time and giving her a Look letting her know enough was enough. "Then maybe we wouldn't keep breaking things."

April rolled her eyes. "Maybe you guys should stop inviting Casey to your place, and maybe Splinter would have less broken things as well," she stated.

"Point taken," Michaelangelo replied, smiling. "Though, that is amusing to watch."

Rina snorted. "For who? You and Raph, or Sensei?"

Mikey smirked. "Why, Raph and I of course!"

"Even if you have to clean it up?" Rina challenged.

"Ah - okay, it's not so funny," Mikey admitted. "Especially when they spill soda on my comics!"

April shook her head, handing each turtle a bowl of ramen, then sitting down with one herself. "You guys never change," she smiled. "I like that. I know what to expect."

"Well, you can definitely expect the unexpected," Rina giggled. "Especially if Raph and Marie get into it - you never know what'll happen."

April shook her head. "I always said they were too much alike."

Michaelangelo shrugged. "So how's life been for you, Ape? What's been going on? What have we missed out on?"

"Oh, not too much," April replied, as they all sat eating. "The usual. Work, Casey, work, Casey, work."

"Soooo you really like Casey then, huh?" Mikey smirked, wriggling his eye ridges at her.

April groaned, rolling her eyes as she slapped his arm playfully. "Mikey! It's not like that - well, least not entirely."

"Oooh! Details!" Rina insisted.

"We've been dating off and on for a while now, as you know," April said. "And I think we just may finally take it up to the next level."

"Marriage?!?" Rina squealed.

"No!" April exclaimed, then blushed. "Not yet, anyway. But I have asked him to move in with me."

"Say goodbye to all your valuables then," Mikey laughed. "Casey'll have 'em knocked over in no time!"

"Tehe, April's taking the next big step down the road to getting married to Casey Jones," Rina teased, smirking up at the older woman.

April turned a bright red color of a human blush and shook her head, "I'm thinking that it's a good decision, don't try to dissuade me."

"I wasn't gonna," replied Rina, holding up her hands innocently.

"Bull in a china shop, April," Mikey said.

This time, April launched a pot-holder shaped like a chicken at his green head. After they had eaten, April suggested that they all sit down and play a card game. Knowing that the turtles' reflexes canceled out the chance to play Egyptian Rat Screw, April suggested that they play phase 10, a game that would last at least an hour and probably make all three of their heads hurt. After about thirty minutes, Rina took pity on Mikey who was glaring at the card game,

"Hey, April, will you teach me how to French Braid my hair again?" April agreed and they started watching a rerun of Batman while April re-taught the turtle girl to braid her hair again.

After the movie had finished, Mikey and Rina left April's apartment with the promise of calling her soon with an update about Marie. They raced across the rooftops with practiced ease and at a moderate speed. There was no reason to rush home, and it was a nice night out besides.

"I've figured it out!" Donatello exclaimed as he came out of his room and proudly waved a piece of paper in the air.

"Got what, Brainiac?" asked Raphael as he glanced at his brother as the purple-clad turtle rushed by the couch.

Donnie ignored him as he rushed back to Marietta and Catarina's room. "Sensei!" Donnie said as he rushed into the bedroom.

Master Splinter looked up at him from where he was sitting on Marie's bed. "Yes, my son? What is it?" he asked, glancing at the paper in Donatello's hand.

"I think I know exactly what Marie has," he said, smiling at his little sister. She was asleep, her hand thrown up over her eyes.

"This is…" asked Master Splinter, his eyebrows knitted together in anticipation.

"Influenza," Donatello answered, holding the sheet out for his father to look at. The rat took the paper and glanced it over. Yes, the symptoms were correct for everything.

"It was either that or tonsillitis and I ruled that out on because she hasn't had that many sore throats," said Donnie.

Master Splinter nodded, "That sounds correct, Donatello."

Donatello beamed at the fact that he had finally figured out just what was wrong with his sister. "She must've just caught a really bad case of it," he stated. "All we have to do is keep doing what we're already doing and she should be fine within a few days - maybe a week or so. It all depends on just how bad her case really is."

Master Splinter nodded. "Thank-you, Donatello. It is a relief knowing that she will be okay in the end," he stated calmly. "Though, I have always known Marietta to be a fighter. She is my little rebel, after all."

Donatello nodded. "Hai, Sensei," he replied. "I'll just tell everyone else to be careful they don't catch it."

"Thank-you, my son," Master Splinter nodded, leaning back in the rocking chair that had been placed next to Marie's bed so he wouldn't have to sit on the cold floor so much. Marie also liked knowing someone was right there in case she was in need of something.

Donatello bowed somewhat, then hurried on out of the room to inform his brothers of his find.

"Well, that's a relief," Raphael grunted, his arms over his chest. "Means the Runt'll be back to her old self in no time."

Leonardo groaned. "Great. Just when we're finally getting along," he stated. "I mean, I'm thrilled she's going to be okay - but her mood swings are the worst! I like it better when she doesn't hate me so much."

Raphael chuckled. "Leo, she don't hate yah. She's just stubborn as a mule, and refuses to admit how much she truly does care about you. I'm not the only one she looks up too, yanno."

"Thanks Raph," Leo replied, a small grateful smile on his face.

Raph shrugged. "Whatevah."

Michaelangelo and Catarina came into the lair then, both all smiles and in great spirits.

"Hey!" Rina grinned. "April says hi!"

Donatello smiled. "Well, that's always good to hear."

"How's Marie?" Rina asked, concerned once more.

"Just the flu she's got," Donatello informed them. "So be careful you don't catch it, it seems to be a bad bout of it."

The two who'd just entered the lair nodded, then headed for the kitchen for some water - rooftop jumping made them extremely thirsty.

"Oh, hey, Raph?" Rina called out from the kitchen.

"What?" Raphael called back.

"Casey's movin' in with April this week!" Rina told him, as she came out of the kitchen sipping at a glass of ice water. "April invited him to move in."

Raph laughed. "There goes her china," he commented, smirking smugly. "I told her it wouldn't last long with that lug around."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't exactly last that long when we're around either," Leo pointed out.

Raphael shrugged. "So what else is new?"

Donnie shook his head, as he headed back into his lab to fix something that had been broken earlier that week. It was then a loud cry was heard, coming from the girls' bedroom.

"RINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It wasn't often that Rina heard that gut-wrenching scream. She had heard it once when they were little and Marie and Master Splinter had been taken by the Foot when they ransacked their house. Another time, Marie had been lost in the sewers and Rina couldn't find her. Last night, she had heard it again. There was nothing else she could do but immediately run to her sister's side, her glass of whatever falling out of her hand and crashing on the ground.

"Marie!" she exclaimed as she crashed into the door, forcing it open and falling on the floor beside her sister's bed.

The turtle in the purple and yellow bandanna was sitting up in the bed, clutching her hands to her face, covering her eyes as if she was seeing something horrible. Master Splinter was sitting behind her, his arms wrapped around her tightly.

"Marie? Are you alright?" she asked, reaching up and touching her sister's knee. The other turtle girl shrank away and then turned to look at Rina.

"Oh my god, Rina, make it stop!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with fear.

She was making Rina afraid, but the other turtle girl wasn't about to say something to her terrified sister. "Shh, Marie, it's okay, I swear, I promise," Rina said, climbing up onto the bed to sit beside Marie. "What happened?" Rina asked, putting her hand on her sister's kneecap.

Marie stared at Rina as tears started streaming down her cheeks. "I was…I was in a cage somewhere, I think," she cried, leaning forward. Rina situated herself so she could hug her sister. "That man was there again. He called me a name…no, a number. T35," she said, sobs wracking her frame. Marie seemed sad and angry but most of all frightened. Rina didn't know what to do besides just hold her and try to comfort her. "And, and then I was running around in circles. It was some sort of test. You were with me, and every time I wanted to stop, you smiled at me. We were really little, I dunno how old. Then they took you away again." Marie let out a long wail and clung to her sister, "Please, please, don't go away! Don't let them take you away!"

"Marie, I'm not going anywhere!" Rina replied hastily, frightened by her sister's behavior. She looked imploringly to their father who rubbed circles on Marie's back.

"Marietta, my child, the world is not as you saw it in your nightmare," Master Splinter said soothingly, "We are a family. There is no man, and no one will ever take your sister from you."

The boys were standing in the doorway, watching their sisters and their father.

"But he'll try! And what if he takes me too? I don't want to go with him…" Marie said her eyes as wide as saucers as she looked at Master Splinter.

"No one is going to take anyone anywhere," Leonardo said in a determined tone as he walked over and sat down on the side of Marie's bed.

Marie looked at him with suspicious eyes, "What if you're just saying that?"

"I haven't lied to you before," Leonardo replied, staring her down.

Rina felt Marie shudder in her arms as she let out a halting sigh and fell deeper into her sister's embrace.

"Please, Rina, don't leave me," Marie mumbled, still holding onto the other girl.

"I won't," said Rina, even though she was getting the no way sign from Donatello who thought that was a terrible idea, "I won't."

Catarina helped Master Splinter quiet Marietta down and then got her to drink some ice water to help the fever. As her sister fell back asleep, Rina sat at the end of the bed like a stubborn watchdog. So what if she got sick? Her sister wanted her there so she was going to stay there.

"Rina," Donatello sighed. "It's not happening."

Rina glared at her brother in purple, knowing exactly what he was indicating. "I don't care, Donnie. She wants me here, so I'm gonna be here!" She snapped somewhat. "You'd do the same for me, if I asked you too! So let me be here for Marie!"

"But - " Donatello started, only to be cut off.

"My son, let her be," Master Splinter said calmly. "There is no harm in letting her ease Marietta's fears; there is also no point in intensifying those fears by removing her sister from her reach. These dreams plaguing Marietta have her greatly troubled and fearful, and I will not force her to awaken each time wondering where her sister is."

"Hai, Sensei," Donnie sighed. "But if you start to feel sick, I'm removing you immediately and giving you a check-up, Rina."

"Fine," Rina replied, moving back so her shell rested against the wall and so that she was closer to her sister. "But you're not getting me out of here anytime soon."

Donatello shook his head, as he left the room.

Raphael smirked. "Good goin' Kid. Stick to yer guns," he told her. "An' don't you dare let Marie outta that bed unless it's to pee, or I'll pound yah myself!" "

Raphael!" Master Splinter snapped firmly. "There will be no need for that."

Raphael shrugged and left the room as well then.

"You need anything Rina?" Mikey asked, wanting to help in anyway that he could. He hated to see anyone suffer or be as scared as Marie seemed to be from her nightmares.

"Nah, I got everything right here," Rina smiled, patting her sister's covered leg. "But thanks anyway."

"I'm going to stay here as well, if that is alright, Master," Leonardo piped up, his eyes darting from his Sensei to his sisters. These dreams and her comments were really starting to worry him, though she'd only had two thus far. But, it seemed the more she had the more frightened she became and he hated the fact there was nothing he could do to ease her fears - except maybe stay there in the room as well and stand guard.

Master Splinter nodded his agreement. He knew his son's thoughts, and understood perfectly. "That will be fine, Leonardo."

Leo nodded, and moved a desk chair near the doorway, so he could sit and keep an eye out. Mikey flashed everyone a smile, then went off to make something sweet for dessert that night.

Marie woke up the next morning with a mixture of brown and blonde hair in her face. She was confused for a moment until she realized that somehow Rina had ended up in the same bed as she had, sleeping forehead to forehead with her. Marie felt more refreshed than she had the previous morning but she was still under the weather. She remembered waking up yesterday with a nightmare and that was when Rina had demanded to be allowed to stay in there.

Marie lifted her head to see Leonardo asleep in the chair that Master Splinter had previously been sitting in. Someone had tossed a blanket over him and another one over Rina. The presence of her siblings in the room was comforting, and she was glad to have them there. She snuggled closer to Rina and would've fell back to sleep if she hadn't been hungry. She slipped out of the bed and managed not to wake up Rina. She padded down the hallway to the kitchen where she could hear her other three brothers talking amongst themselves. She was feeling a bit weak but she was more hungry than anything.

"Marie!" Mikey exclaimed as he saw his sister in the doorway, eyeballing the cereal on the table voraciously.

"Morning," she said groggily, not even attempting to smile at them.

"Well, lookie here, who decided to get outta bed?" Raphael teased, but he was happy to see her out of the bed. He shoved out a chair with his foot and she climbed into it while Donnie looked her up and down.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked as he went to go find their bottle of medicine.

"A little," Marie answered truthfully.

"Hey, whatcha want for breakfast, Marie?"

"Umm, pancakes?" she asked hopefully.

He ruffled her hair and laughed, "Anything you want as long as you promise not to barf it up!"

"Mikey, you're going to make the kid hurl," rumbled Raphael, rolling his eyes.

"Let's not talk about vomiting, shall we?" said Donnie as he handed a pair of pills to Marie. The young turtle took them grudgingly with a swallow of orange juice.

Marie made a disgusted face as the pills went down with the orange juice. She hated taking medicine with a passion, but these ones seemed to actually be helping - and the sooner she could tackle Raph and get on Leo's nerves the better. Though, she was enjoying having Leo there to protect and comfort her when she needed him to do so - she just wasn't going to admit it anywhere other than inside her head.

"Where're the other two?" Raphael demanded, stuffing another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Sleeping," Marie answered, smiling somewhat. It felt good waking up and seeing Rina and Leo both there - she could get used to this. "I actually snuck past Leo!"

Donatello laughed at her sudden enthusiasm. "Well, there's a first," he said, ruffling her hair lightly as he walked by in order to get back to his seat.

Marie swatted at him haphazardly. "Donnie!" She whined. "Don't!"

Mikey laughed hearing her, as he went about making her some pancakes - pancakes she'd had to miss out on, on their Pancake Sunday. "Hey, you want anything in these?" He asked, wondering if she'd actually ask for chocolate chips.

"C'n I have apples?" She asked hopefully.

"Sure thing, Kiddo," Mikey beamed, grabbing an apple from the fridge and slicing it up after peeling it quickly.

Marie stifled a yawn, still a bit tired, though she did feel more refreshed as she'd actually gotten a decent night's sleep.

"What're you doing after breakfast?" Donnie inquired.

"Going back to bed," Marie answered, as she still wanted to snuggle with her sister some more, with Leo looking on protectively.

Soon enough, her pancakes were done and she sat eating them happily, making sure to take her time as to not upset her stomach too much. Mikey and Donnie had left, leaving her and Raph still sitting there as he wasn't about to leave in case anything happened.

"Yah sure yer alright?" He checked, as he knew her and how she liked to lie at times to hide the truth.

"I'm fine, Raph," Marie replied, savoring a bite of pancake. "I still don't feel well, but I don't feel as bad as yesterday."

Raphael eyed her a moment, before finally accepting that as the truth. "No more nightmares?"

Marie shook her head. "No, Leo and Rina protected me from them," she told him. "They make a good team, scaring off nightmares."

Raph snorted, though he knew in her own round about way, she was admitting she was glad Leo had stayed with her in the girls' room. "You'd best eat and get back before he worries," Raph reminded her. "Or he just may carry yah on back there."

Marie flashed her brother in red a smile as she ate her last bite of pancake, before standing and tackling him gently in a hug - not like her usual tackle hugs which were always rough, tight, and fun.

"Love you," she whispered softly, as she felt him embrace her back with one arm.

Raphael had darted a look around first, before returning the gentle hug. "Love yah too, Kid. Now, git on back to bed."

Marie gave a soft giggle as her brother poked her side. She kissed his cheek, then hurried on back to her room, leaving her plate and utensils on the table.

"Damned Kid," Raphael muttered, cleaning up the mess she'd left behind.

Marie reached her room just as Leo and Rina were stirring.

"Where'd you go?" Rina asked sleepily.

"I was hungry," Marie replied, going and crawling back into bed next to her sister. "Stay with me, please?"

Rina saw her sister's hopeful look and nodded. "I already told Donnie I'm not going anywhere," she smiled warmly.

Marie returned the smile, hugging her sister as tightly as she dared, not wanting to upset her stomach. It was then she heard Leo moving about. "Leo!" She cried, quickly turning and jumping up out of bed so fast a dizzy spell hit her once more. "Oye...."

"Hey, take it easy!" Leo exclaimed, easing her back down onto the bed, so she was once more lying next to Rina. "Now, what is it?"

"Don't go," Marie told him softly. "Please? I need you here."

"I'm just going to get Rina and I some breakfast," Leo answered. "We're hungry too, you know."

"Then get Mikey to get it for you!" Marie told him, quickly grabbing his arm when he tried to leave.

"Mae-Mae, what's wrong?" Rina asked, worried once more.

"I just - I don't want you guys to go yet," Marie whispered. "I need you here."

Rina gave her sister an encouraging look, "Don't worry, Marie. Leo will be right back, and besides, how's Mikey supposed to get us food if he doesn't know we want it? And on top of that, Mikey's not a slave."

"Though he may be beginning to feel like one," mumbled Leo, rolling his dark blue eyes.

Rina tossed him a smirk before returning her attention to her sister. "But, yeah, I swear, Leo will be back in a little bit, won't you, Fearless?" Rina said, emphasizing the phrase 'little bit'.

"Of course," replied Leonardo, once again heading towards the door.

"You better come back soon!" exclaimed Marie, glaring at her older brother.

"Will do, Ms. Demanding," he said as he walked out the door.

Marie curled up beside her sister who had picked up one of the magazines on the bed stand and started reading it.

"Ugh, BSB," she complained, tossing the magazine over the side of the bed. "Dribble, complete dribble," she said, frowning at the offending magazine.

"It's not dribble," declared Marie, opening her eyes to scowl at Rina.

The turtle in blue and white made a face. "Bleh, it is too," she replied.

"Is not!" Marie snapped, sounding angry.

Rina held up her hands innocently, "Fine, whatever. Grouchy."

"You sunny-side-up moron," Marie grumbled before planting her face into the pillow.

Rina grinned to herself. Wanting to stretch her legs, Rina got out of the bed and rubbed her tired muscles. Training with her brothers was much different than training with her sister. Rina felt a tickle in her throat and an unwanted series of coughing escaped her. She immediately clapped her hands over her mouth. Oooh, no! She wasn't sick, she didn't have the flu. It was a head cold if anything. She decided to ignore it and grabbed her CD-player before returning to sit on Marie's bed. The turtle in purple and yellow was a light green color, still not up to her darker green shade.

Leonardo came back in with a plate of leftover pancakes, a couple granola bars, and three bottles of cold water. Leonardo offered Rina the pancakes but she wrinkled her beak. For one, she wasn't very hungry and second, ugh, there were apples in that! She hated apples.

"Granola bar'll be fine, thank you," she said, taking one of the bars and a bottle of water from him.

"Suit yourself," Leo replied, sitting down in the rocking chair again. He munched down on the pancakes while Rina nibbled at the edge of the granola bar. She managed to get half-way through it before setting it to the side.

About an hour later, both Leo and Rina were getting restless. Rina was able to amuse herself with the CD-player but Leonardo didn't have much to do. Rina glanced over at Marie who was pretty much asleep.

"Leo," she whispered, smiling at her brother. "You could probably go now, she's asleep."

"Alright, but come get me if she starts having a nightmare," Leonardo said, standing up from the rocking chair. He was ready to go train or something, at least move around for a while. Being sedentary didn't suit him. He left for the dojo while Rina stayed behind, sitting loyally at her sister's side. She eventually drifted off, lying down at the end of the bed.

Donatello went to check on Marie a short while later, frowning some when he saw that both were asleep. Marie, he had expected, but not Rina. He went over and felt their foreheads dutifully, frowning more when he realized Rina was now also a bit warmer than usual. He shook his head. He knew this would happen, but both girls were extremely stubborn when it came to protecting the other - a good trait, yes, but not when the other was sick. He covered them both up, deciding medicine could wait until they were awake once more. He was happy to see Marie looking better than earlier, though she still wasn't up to par. He left the room, shutting the door behind him and headed out back to where the rest of the family was out in the den.

"Well, Rina's sick," he confirmed. "Unless it's just the fact the two of them are snuggled together, offering the other their body heart. But, I really think it's the first of the two."

Raphael groaned. "Just great. One finally starts to get better, an' now the other hasta go an' get sick. Why can't they ever just be sick together and get it over with or not catch what the other's got at all?"

"She may not have the flu, Raph," Donnie pointed out. "All I said was that she's sick."

Leo shook his head. "It's no wonder we're not all sick. We've all been in there with Marie long enough for it to happen."

"My sons, just keep drinking the herbal tea, and you shall be fine," Master Splinter stated. "And if Rina is sick, I am sure we will all take as great care of her as we have Marie."

"Of course, Sensei!" Mikey chirped. "That's our job! We are their big brothers, after all."

Raph snorted. "And surprisingly, Mikey's actually good at it."

"Hey!" Mikey whined. "I'm good at other things too!"

Leo cast Raph a glare, then looked back at his youngest brother in orange. "No one said you weren't, Mikey."

Mikey grinned, then went back to channel surfing. "So what're we gonna do now? Yanno, since two of us are outta commission."

"Lemme guess what Leo's gonna say," Raphael exclaimed, standing up from the couch. He struck a Leo pose, one hand curled in a fist and thrust into the air, "Come on, everyone, let's train! Yippee!" He rolled his eyes over towards their leader as if he was disappointed. "C'mon, Leo, try to be original," he teased, flopping back down on the couch.

Leo scowled at his brother in red, "I do not look like that! I don't sound like that, either."

"Well, y'know dude, you sorta do…" Mikey started but he trailed off when Leo gave him a death glare. He sunk down into the couch cushions, "Okay, but if we don't train, then what're we going to do?"

"We could relax," proposed Donatello, "Perhaps we all deserve a day off."

He and the other three looked hopefully at Master Splinter. A day just to goof off and do whatever they wanted would be fun. Besides, they had been practicing ninjitsu without any good breaks for a long time now. Master Splinter sighed and rubbed the end of his cane,

"Maybe a day of rest is in order…"

"Whoot!" Mikey exclaimed, high-fiving Donatello.

So the boys were allowed to have the rest of the day off. At first, they all stayed in the living room, not really knowing what to do with their time. There was a short lived Super Smash Brothers tournament that ended in Mikey doing a victory dance around the lair. Eventually, Raphael drifted over to play the guitar he had gotten last Christmas while Mikey fell into writing in his notebook. Donatello was programming a laptop while Leonardo took up a desk to do some drawing.

Back in the bedroom, Marie had woken up and was reading one of her magazines. Rina was still asleep but she woke up when her sister accidentally poked her with her foot.

"Hey," Rina mumbled as she picked her head up from her crossed arms.

"Afternoon, lazy bones," Marie said, grinning up her sister as she put the magazine down.

Rina smirked as she sat up and massaged her arm. It had fallen asleep and now it was prickling with pain.

"Are you feeling better?" Rina asked, her hazel eyes searching her sister for any lies.

Marie shrugged, "I think so. I'm good enough that I can read now without throwing up."

"That's a good sign," said Rina with a giggle. The giggle made the tickle in her throat worse and she ended up coughing. Marie narrowed her eyes but Rina waved her off, "Haha, swallowed a dust bunny."

Marie decided that that was an adequate explanation and leaned back against the pillow she was propping herself up with.

Rina slid off the side of the bed, "Are you hungry or thirsty or something?"

"I guess," said Marie uncertainly, "Do we have any fruit in the fridge?"

"Maybe," Rina said, rubbing her temple as she tried to think. "I'll check though!" she said, hanging on the doorway, "I'll get some water too."

"Alright, but come back soon," said Marie.

"Well, duh," Rina said, giving her a thumbs up.

Marie giggled some; she loved her sister and how she always knew how to make things better. She often wished she knew how to do that; usually, all she did was just make things worse.

Leonardo glanced up when he heard someone come out of the hallway. "Hey Rina," he smiled. "How's Marie?"

"She's fine," Rina answered. "She's reading her magazines."

Leo laughed as Rina rolled her eyes slightly.

"How're you feeling?" Donatello queried, looking up from his laptop.

"Fine," Rina answered, heading towards the kitchen. "Just hungry, is all."

"Well, that half of a granola bar you ate earlier wouldn't be enough to keep anybody satisfied for long," Leonardo commented, ignoring the glare his sister flashed him.

Rina stalked off into the kitchen to find something good to eat. She ended up finding some leftover lasagna, and a bowl of grapes, apples, lemons, and bananas that she decided to take for her sister. She grabbed up the food, as well as a couple glasses of juice, and carried them on back to the bedroom, where she set everything down, then plopped onto Marie's bed once more.

Marie eyed her sister warily. "Yer sure yer okay, Kitty?" Marie double-checked, as her sister just seemed different to her today.

"I'm fine, would everybody quit asking me that!" Rina snapped, grabbing up her leftover lasagna, which she had heated up before coming back to the bedroom. She dug in, though she was mostly just picking at it.

"Mm....That sure smells good," Marie commented, grabbing up an already sliced lemon with her one sai she'd pierced through the piece of fruit.

"Your weapons aren't forks," Rina stated grouchily, midst a mouthful of food.

"They might as well be," Marie smiled. "I mean, look at 'em!"

Rina rolled her eyes and continued eating, only managing to eat about half of what was on her plate; she grabbed up her glass of juice and gulped it down thirstily. Once done, she lie back down on the bed, her head resting on her sister's lap.

"Yer sure yer okay?" Marie asked again cautiously.

"Yes!" Rina growled slightly, smacking her sister's leg.

"Ow! Okay!" Marie exclaimed. "Yeesh!"

Rina settled down once more, soon dozing off into a peaceful slumber. Marie sat reading her magazines and eating fruit, while subconsciously playing with her sister's hair.

Later that afternoon, both Rina and Marie ventured forth out of their bedroom, bored out of their minds. No one was in the living room so they took it over. Rina let Marie have the couch while she sat on the floor, her shell pressed up against the back of the couch. Marie flipped the channels around until she landed on one of those made-for-TV Lifetime movies. The girls settled down to watch TV, guessing that their brother had retreated to their rooms.

"Man, that woman is so stupid," Marie grumbled, glaring listlessly at the TV.

"Hmm?" Rina asked, looking at her sister. She hadn't really been paying attention.

"That woman, she knows he's just going to abuse her again! Why's she so stupid, huh? If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn't let him hit me," said Marie, ranting about the injustices of the world.

Rina smiled and ran her finger along the floor. "Yeah, mhmm, I'm certain you wouldn't," she said, leaning back against the couch. As the movie went along, Marie kept on ranting while Rina eventually fell asleep, her forehead pressed against her knees.

"OH! How can he do that to her!? Stupid man, grrr," railed Marie, her voice becoming squeakier as she lashed out against the man on the TV. She was really getting into the drama of it all. She glanced down and realized that Rina wasn't paying attention to her. "Only you could fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position, Rina," mused Marie as she tapped her sister on her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Rina mumbled as she lifted her head from her kneecaps.

"You wanna lie down?" Marie asked, patting the other side of the couch.

Rina rubbed at her eyes and then shook her head, "No, naw, I'm good. I'm great, really."

"Sure," Marie said, rolling her eyes at the statement.

"Are you trying to be sarcastic? Because it doesn't really suit you," growled Rina.

"Wow, what's gotten into you?" asked Marie, her eye ridges raised.

"I dunno, probably the same thing that comes and sucks up your rational thought every now and then," she replied, putting her forehead back on her knees.

Marie stared at her sister; she rarely ever lashed out like this unless she wasn't feeling well or she was on her last nerve.

"What I do to you?" Marie asked, gently shoving her sister's head to the side playfully.

Rina growled and punched Marie's leg, causing the girl on the couch to yelp.

"Ow! Rina! Dammit! What's gotten into you?" Marie exclaimed, quickly pulling her legs back as she rubbed where she'd been punched. "Fine, I'll leave yah be. Yeesh!"

Rina grumbled incoherently, as she placed her head back down onto her knees, closing her eyes once more and falling back to sleep almost immediately.

Raphael came into the room then, smiling some when he spotted the girls. "Hey, Runt. How yah feelin'?" He asked, going over to stand near Rina who was snoring softly.

"Better," Marie answered once a commercial had come on. "But whatever yah do, don't bug Rina. She's cranky."

Raph smirked, nudging Rina with his foot, only to have a fist slammed down onto is foot. He glared at the girl, shoving her over a bit hard with his foot. "Get up on the couch if yah gonna sleep, or go back to bed," he stated as she toppled over.

Rina hit the floor, immediately sitting back up and glaring up angrily at her brother in red. "Screw you, Raphael!" She snapped, glaring up at him with daggers for eyes.

"I told yah," Marie snickered, though stifling her giggles as Rina turned the glare upon her. "What? I tried to keep him from buggin' yah."

"Yeah, right," Rina mumbled, curling back up into the same position as before. "Just go back to watchin' your stupid show, Marie."

"You c'n come up here with me, yanno," Marie reminded her sister. "It's more comfortable."

"I'm fine right where I am!" Rina snapped, not bothering to lift her head from her arms. "Just leave me be!"

"Okay," Marie replied softly, moving to the other end of the couch and curling up into her own little ball after Rina had swatted away the intrusive hand that had tried to play with her hair.

Raph shook his head. "I swear y'all switch personalities when yer sick," he said, stepping over Rina and flopping down next to Marie, who immediately snuggled in.

"I'm not sick!" Rina grumbled, as she maneuvered slightly, so she'd be leaning against her brother's leg.

Raphael let the girl be, until she was dozing once more before daring to place his hand gently atop her head in a form of comfort. He glanced around the room, as if daring one of his brothers to come forth and make fun of him for sitting how he was with the girls.

Marie smiled, after tossing a blanket over her sister, then went right back into ranting and raving at the movie still playing on the television set.

About a week later, both girls were up and about and back to normal. Marie had recovered nicely from her bout with the flu. She was back to her rough-and-tumble, bickering self, running about the lair with BSB cranked up on the stereo system. Rina had had a cold that had knocked her down for a couple days but now she was back to normal, joking with Mikey and being her usual bouncy self. Tonight was the girls first night back out on patrol. As Master Splinter had said before, they had to stay in three man patrols with their brothers. Rina didn't mind it as much as Marie, who railed and roared against it. Ever since she had been sick, she had been unusually attached to her sister. She didn't like to be anywhere without the other teenage girl.

"Oh, c'mon, can't we be a two man?" she asked right before they were all about to leave.

"You heard Master Splinter, Marie," said Leonardo as he tightened the straps on his katana holder. "You're coming with me and Mikey while Marie goes with Donnie and Raphael."

Marie scowled at him and tossed her long brown hair. "It's not fair," she snapped, tying her hair back with a hair tie.

"Life's not fair," Raphael said as he brushed past her, heading for the door.

She socked him in the shoulder and he bopped her upside the head.

"Hey, save it for the baddies!" Mikey exclaimed as he popped up between the two of them.

Marie and Raphael glared at each other around their brother as they exited the lair.

"Sheesh, I think I like her better when she's sick," said Mikey, winking at Rina as she walked up beside him.

"There are some positives when she's sick," said Donnie, walking up behind Rina. "And there are some definite negatives to when you're sick," he said, looking at his sister in blue and white.

She tossed a smile to him over her shoulder, "I didn't say there weren't. I'm a terrible sick person."

"No kidding," mused Mikey, rubbing at a spot on his plastron, "Did you have to throw a senbon at me?"

"Maybe," said Rina, grinning cheekily.

The six turtles moved down the sewers at a fast clip. At the end of one of the corridors, Leo made hand motions, and the two groups split up, becoming quiet as they did so. Now they were officially on patrol, watching out for any baddies that happened to be lurking around. Leo, Mikey, and Marie got to the surface first. They headed down one of the streets then bounced up a fire escape to get to the roofs.

"Alright, it's short patrol tonight; we won't be going very far," Leo said, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. They didn't want to work the girls too hard, seeing how they had been ill for the past week.

Marie clutched her sai, hoping that they'd meet up with some Purple Dragons or the Foot. She wanted to beat something up really bad; all this pent up energy wasn't doing her any good.

"Let's do this," Marie said after a moment’s silence. "I'm ready to kick some shell."

"Are we sure she's not completely a female Raph clone?" Mikey asked Leo, as their sister sounded exactly like their brother in red.

Leo rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "C'mon you two. We've patrol to do."

Marie let out a whoop of joy, as she did a cartwheel across the roof of the building they were on.

"Marie!" Leo snapped, his eyes narrowing. "Control yourself! We're ninja, not a circus act"

Mikey snickered. "Coulda fooled me," he chuckled, earning himself a glare from their oldest brother.

Soon as Marie had managed to quiet down, Leonardo led them along the route they would be taking that night on their patrol.

Meanwhile, Raphael, Donatello, and Catarina were off in the other direction patrolling their part of the city. They were jumping rooftops with ease, all remembering the times the girls had been too scared to jump them, though they flew across with ease these days.

"Hold up," Raphael stated holding a hand up for his siblings to stop. "Looks like we got some heads to bust down there."

Donatello and Catarina glanced down, noticing the men in suits robbing a building that wasn't normally robbed.

"They look like those guys we beat up last week, Raph," Rina stated, forgetting Donatello didn't have a clue what they were talking about.

"Yeah, they do," Raph grunted. "Fact, I think they are. Them dumbasses just dunno when to quit, do they?"

"We gonna kick some shell?" Rina asked hopefully.

"Definitely," Raphael answered, eyeing Donatello. "Just watch out for the big guys - they're awful strong, Donnie." He then eyed his sister warily. "And Rina, you be careful, yah hear?"

"I will," Rina assured him with a brief nod.

The three of them snuck on down to go fight off the baddies dressed in Armani suits.

"I see yah didn't learn the first time 'round," Raphael snarled, as he hid in the shadows with his siblings. "Maybe this time y'all will learn not to mess with us."

"Not you punks again!" One exclaimed, dropping the box he'd been holding. "Petey! Clyde! Get over here!" Two big burly men in suits came lumbering over to stand next to their friend.

"What's wrong, Carl?"

"Those punks we fought last week are back again," Carl replied.

"'Nough of this chit-chat, let's rumble!" Raph growled, jumping out and kicking Carl in the chest. "HIYAH!"

Rina and Donnie quickly came out and attacked Petey and Clyde, Donatello taking on Clyde as he was the biggest.

Rina danced around the smaller baddie, her movement fluid like water. She was graceful in her attacks, taking the time to think before executing them. She could sense Donatello nearby, his calm, steady presence reassuring as they fought. Raphael's yells were clear over the battle, his taunts loud and obnoxious as they always were.

"Man, it's like fighting a mountain!" shouted Raphael as he hit Carl in the chest and literally bounced off of him.

"That's what genetic enhancement gets yah, turtle," snapped Carl, slamming a fist into Raphael. The turtle in red flew backwards and landed on Donatello.

Rina narrowed her eyes and threw a senbon at Clyde as he stepped towards the two of them. It pierced his hand and he cried out, waving the wounded appendage in the air. As Petey raced at her, Rina pulled her second senbon from the knot in her bandanna and hurled it at the henchman. It stuck in his shoulder but it didn't deter him. He rushed her, slamming her back into the wall. With one hand on her shoulder, he hauled back his fist to punch her in the face.

"No you don't!" cried Rina, dropping out of his grasp and kicking his legs out from under him.

"Back up would be nice!" Donnie yelled as he boxed Clyde's ears.

"You got a damn Shell Cell, use it!" yelled Raphael.

Leo, Mikey, and Marie were having a rather calm night when Leo's shell cell suddenly began to ring. He picked it up, "Hello?"

"Hey, Leo, we sort of have a situation down here," said Donnie, sounding as if he was out of breath, "Met up with some rather nasty guys."

"Where are you guys?" asked Leo, stopping on one of the rooftops.

Marie and Mikey walked over to him, trying to listen in on the conversation.

"Down at the pharmaceutical plant on 5th street," Donnie replied quickly. The three other turtles could hear the sounds of a fight on the other end of the line. "Hey, Rina, watch your back!" "Watch it for me!" "I can't do everything at once!" "Raph, watch OUT!" "Shit!" "Come back here, frog man." "I'm a turtle, damn it!"

"Hurry, if you don't mind," Donnie said before hanging up the phone.

Leonardo turned to his team.

Marie frowned and crossed her arms, "How come they got to fight?"

Leo rolled his eyes, "Don't complain, we'll be there in a few minutes. 5th street isn't that far."

"It's far enough," said Mikey, looking out over the rooftops. The three man team took to their heels and headed off towards their siblings.

When they got there, they found that their siblings weren't the only ones who had called in reinforcements. Three tired turtles were working together to try and fight off the extra five men who had shown up to help their buddies. Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Marietta leapt into the battle, their weapons drawn. Marie's manikiri whipped through the air and wrapped around the ankles of a man who was antagonizing Rina.

"Don't mess with my sister!" she shouted, yanking on the chain. He toppled over like a falling skyscraper.

"And there goes the Tower of Pizza!" said Mikey as his nunchucks whipped up against a man's head.

"You mean Pisa?" asked Donatello as his bo swung through the air and took out another one of the henchman.

"Whatever!" Mikey replied, leaping around the alleyway.

Marie was having fun now, being able to take out any frustration or built-up energy on these punks that had hurt her siblings. She was somewhat reckless in her attacks but Rina was nearby, helping her by yelling whenever she got too out of hand.

"C'mon, big guy, let's see what you got!" Marie exclaimed, rushing towards the biggest guy.

"Marie, don't!" shouted Rina, seeing where her sister was heading.

Marie ignored her and leapt at the man, executing a flying front kick. It knocked him in the chest, but he didn't seem phased.

"Hello, weakling child," he said and Marie let out a snarl. He grabbed her out of the air as she fell and tossed her with both hands at the wall.

"Marie!" screamed Rina as her sister bounced off the wall and fell to the ground. She jumped in front of her sister's prone body and brandished her kaiken as the man rushed towards them. Suddenly, a bo whipped out in front of her and smacked the man in the face. "Donnie," Rina said gratefully as her older brother stepped in front of her.

"Rina, get Marie away," he said as he advanced on the man, his bo held tightly in one hand. He went through a flurry of motions, his bo whirling and landing time and time again on the man. The others were making quick work of their enemies and most of the suited men were running away.

Meanwhile, Marie had sat up and was holding her head. "Ow, that wasn't fun," she complained, massaging her temples.

"That wasn't smart," said Rina as she pulled Marie to her feet and started leading her away from the battle.

"Don't sass me," growled Marie as Rina pushed her towards the fire escape. They bounded up the fire escape and Rina made Marie sit down on the roof. "I wanna go back down and help!" Marie shouted angrily, whirling on her sister.

Rina narrowed her eyes at Marie, "Look, the guys have it handled. Besides, you're acting like a crazy person tonight. Just calm down."

"Don't tell me what to do, Rina," Marie growled, poking her sister in the shoulder.

Rina sighed, "Don't go down there, Marie, Donnie said not to."

"I don't care!" Marie exclaimed, pushing her sister away as she reached out to her.

There was a quiet thwwwip and Rina gave a pained cry as she grabbed at her neck. Marie let out a gasp as she saw a fuzzy ended dart poking out from between her sister's fingers.

"RINA!!" Marie screamed as she leaped forward.

"Marie, shut up and run!" said Rina, stumbling towards her sister. She didn't know where her opponent was but she certainly wasn't going to let them get her sister. There was another thwwwip and Rina saw the dart come in between her and Marie. Desperate, she shoved her sister onto the fire escape, causing her to fall down a couple of levels and bang her head on the railing.

"Marie!" Leo shouted and he ran over to the fire escape to check on her.

As Rina’s vision started to swim in front of her, she felt a pair of huge hands grab her up and carry her away, moving over the rooftops. Her vision blacked out just as she was shoved into some kind of vehicle.

Back at the rooftop, Marie was coming to. She could see Leonardo hovering over her…She was missing something – no, someone… "Rina! No!"

"What the Shell happened?" Raphael demanded, as all four boys were now up on the rooftop with Marie, who had banged her head pretty good on her fall down the fire escape.

Marie abruptly sat up, ignoring the pain in her head and the flash wave of dizziness that overcame her. "Rina!?! Where's Rina!?!?!" Marie cried, looking around frantically.

"That's what we're hoping you can tell us," Leonardo stated, as Donatello gently checked over Marie's head briefly.

"Ow! Donnie!" Marie winced, swatting at him. It was then she realized just what her brother had said. "Shit! They got Rina! They got her!" Marie exclaimed, attempting to jump up, only her brothers wouldn't let her.

"Explain!" Leonardo ordered, now worried about their missing sibling.

"Rina! We hafta find Rina!" Marie babbled.

"We can't exactly do that until you tell us what happened, Runt," Raphael snapped.

"I sent them up here," Donatello answered, when Marie just kept babbling. "Someone," he began, nodding towards Marie to indicate he meant her. "Was reckless and pulled a stupid move, and ended up hurt so Rina jumped in to protect and would've been hit, had I not deflected the blow. I told her to get Marie out of there, and they came back up here. After that, I'm afraid I can't tell you what went on. All I know is what we all saw - Marie falling down the fire escape."

Michaelangelo bit his lip worriedly, not sure if he should ask questions or not - he knew he definitely couldn't joke.

"Marie!" Leonardo snapped, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Snap out of it!" Marie startled, and glared at her brother in blue.

"Watch where you snap yer fingers, 'less you wanna lose 'em!" She growled.

"For the last time, where is Rina?!" Leonardo demanded, eyeing Marie warily.

Marie's eyes went huge, as she remembered what had happened. "They got her! She got me up here an' we were arguin', 'cause I wanted to go back down an' help, an' then Wham! She'd a dart in her neck an' I tried to help her, but 'nother one came an' she shoved me down the fire escape! Dammit! Just wait 'till I get my hands on her! I was just tryin' to help!"

"I think you've helped enough, Marietta," Leonardo stated dryly, helping her to stand. "It's your foolishness that got you girls into this mess in the first place!"

"Which way did they go?" Michaelangelo asked finally.

"How should I know?" Marie snapped, angrily shoving Leo away. "I was busy fallin' down a damned fire escape!"

Raphael growled and sent a sharp kick to his sister's rear, causing her to yelp as she reached back to rub where his foot had connected.

"We better get home so we can work out a plan," Donatello piped up, shaking his head, as he felt he was partly to blame as he had sent the girls up to the rooftops alone.

"I'm not goin' home!" Marie shouted. "I'm going to get Rina first! I'm not leavin' her out there alone!"

Raphael kicked her rear end again, causing her to yelp once more. "You'll do as yer told, and git yer butt home if yah know what's good fer yah!"

"Quit kicking me!" Marie yelled, rubbing her seat.

"I'll do more 'en that if yah don't get a damned move on!" Raphael growled, taking an angry stride towards her.

Marie's eyes went wide and she quickly took off, jumping to the next rooftop.

"I’ll follow her," Mikey informed his brothers, quickly hurrying off after the youngest hot-head.

Donatello shook his head, as him, Leo, and Raph all took off after their two siblings that had just left them behind. They had to get home and figure out how they were going to get Rina back, and they had to figure out just where she was - and fast!

Meanwhile, Catarina was still riding in the back of the van she'd been thrown in. The men had been smart and tied her up good and tight so that she wouldn't be able to escape; they were on their way back to their Master's laboratory to hand over the prized mutant they had found for him. Rina stirred slightly, as she awoke groaning.

"Ohhh.....What happened?" She mumbled aloud, blinking rapidly until her vision cleared enough for her to see. "What the....?"

Her eyes darted around fearfully, as she realized she had indeed been captured - though, she was slightly relieved to see they had not captured Marie as well. She seemed to have managed to save her sister. She realized she was tied up then, and attempted to struggle free, cursing softly when she realized they had her tied good and tight - so tight, she'd never be able to free herself. She gave a soft wail, as she realized they had taken her senbon and kaiken from her - both weapons she hadn't been without since her and Marie had been allowed to carry their weapons of choice.

"Help," Rina thought silently, as the van pulled to an abrupt stop causing her to topple over, as she'd managed to have sat herself up some. The back doors opened and the men smirked as they pulled her out roughly.

"You're not so tough now, are you?" The biggest one snarled, hefting her up over his shoulder.

Unluckily for them, they hadn't tied her legs or gagged her. She drove her knees into the man's chest, forcing the air out of his lungs. He gave a loud oomph and dropped her on the ground. She whipped around and kicked his legs out from under him. As another man lunged for her, she scrambled backwards and got to her feet.

"Leave me alone, you ass!" she yelled, lashing out with a kick.

"Where're you gonna go, anyways, freak?" asked a third man as he jumped back from her kick.

Rina whipped her head around as she felt two more sharp pains, one in her forearm and the other in her leg. She fell to her knees, her vision swimming yet again.

"You idiot!" someone yelled and a dart gun was tossed onto the ground. "If she overdoses, she dies! If she dies, you're out of a job! Moron!"

Rina ended up on her side before her surroundings went black.

"Hold up, Marie!" shouted Mikey, racing after his sister. She was moving faster than she usually did, taking the roof-tops haphazardly. Mikey caught up with her and grabbed her arm. "Stop! You're gonna fall off or something and that's not going to help anything," he said, looking her in the eye with all sincerity and concern.

Marie stared at him. How could he be so nice to her when she seemed to only cause trouble for their family? "I'm sorry!" Marie wailed, tossing herself into her brother's open arms.

Mikey was caught off guard but he recovered and hugged Marie tightly. "Hey, it's okay," he said, brushing her hair back.

"No, it's not!" she cried, pressing her forehead against his plastron. "I got Rina caught! And now she's gone and what if we can't ever find her and I'm such a doofus! Aargh!" she exclaimed, sobbing into her brother's shoulder.

Mikey sighed and gave her another tight hug before pushing her out to arm's length. "Marie, you're not a doofus," he said and held up a hand before she could protest. "Hey, I'm the expert at being a doofus and you're certainly not one. You're important in this family, and we need your help to get Rina back. Which means you can't have a breakdown right now."

Marie gaped at Mikey and then nodded, "Oh…okay. And I'm not having a breakdown, I just wanna find Rina!"

"Don't we all?" asked Donnie as he landed on the rooftop.

"Yeah…so let's go!" Marie shouted, running off the roof top to the next one but with more care this time. Her brothers glanced at each other but followed. Maybe her determination would come in handy now.

"I think Rina left the tracker in her belt," Donnie said to Leo as they flew across the rooftops.

"That could come in handy…" replied Leo.

Rina woke up, her eyelids lifting slowly. She groaned and experimentally moved her arms and legs. She nearly panicked when she discovered that something was holding her door to the table. Worried, she looked and her breath started to come quickly as she realized she was surrounded by medical equipment.

"Oh, her heart rate is speeding up, sir," she heard someone say from beside her. She glanced over to the side and spotted a human woman in a white lab coat.

"She must be awake," a male voice said and there was suddenly someone standing over her, their face filling her view. "Hello," he said in an amiable tone, as if they were beginning a conversation. She stared at him uncertainly. "How are you feeling?" he asked, sounding sincere.

"Shitty," Rina replied groggily.

He laughed and nodded, "Yeah, well, those blockheaded goons of the boss shouldn't have shot you twice. We could've lost you and you're the most advanced female of your kind."

"Huh?" Rina asked, narrowing her eyes.

The human man rested his hand on her lower plastron and smiled at her, "We have many mutants here, and quite a few male turtles around your age. However, you're the only known female to survive. After a few tests, we'll know if you are fertile or not." He rubbed his hand along her stomach area, making her arch her back. She wasn't used to being touched by anyone outside her family, and he seemed to want to turn her into an incubator. "Your vital signs are a little low though, have you been sick lately? We wouldn't want you pregnant until you're well."

"Bite me!" snapped Rina, glaring up at him as tears sprang into her eyes. "Oh, God, guys, get here soon…" she thought to herself.

"Don't tempt him," the woman in the lab coat remarked. "He's been known to do so."

Rina glared as best she could, while blinking back her tears. She couldn't believe she had managed to be caught! And how dare they think they were going to be getting her pregnant! She was not ready for that! And Master Splinter would be so disappointed! She could not disappoint her family, anymore than she felt she already had by allowing herself to be caught. She was a kunoichi, she should know how to escape these types of things without error, and yet, here she was strapped down on an examining table, hooked up to machines - some which involved needles. Needles!?!?! Rina groaned, willing herself to quickly look away from where they stuck in her arms. She could feel herself starting to feel sick, but fought it with all her might. Who knew what they might do to her if they thought she were gravely ill?

Meanwhile, the others had finally returned home and were filling Master Splinter in on what had happened while Donnie turned on his computer to try and locate their missing sister.

"If the Runt had've done as told an' not tried somethan stupid, we'd still have Rina!" Raphael stated angrily.

"It's not my fault!" Marie cried. "I didn't stick her with the dart!"

"If you hadn't've gotten hurt, she wouldn't've had to remove you from battle!" Raphael snapped. "And if she hadn't've had to remove you, she would be here with us right now!"

Marie growled furiously as she attacked her brother in red, only to have him fight back with much more ease than she. She yelped as a punch hit her plastron, though it wasn't a very hard one as Raph knew enough to not seriously injure his kid sister.

"Enough!" Master Splinter exclaimed, as Leonardo pulled Marie off Raphael and Michaelangelo grabbed Raphael's arm.

"Ow!" Marie shrieked, as Raph kicked her rear once more, as Leo moved her away. "Quit it!"

"Then quit bein' a lil' Brat!" Raphael snarled, jerking his arm away from his brother in orange.

"You quit being a shithead first and then we'll talk about me!" snapped Marie, elbowing Leonardo in the plastron.

"Shithead? I'm gonna pop you in that mouth of yours so hard you're gonna forget every cuss word ya know, Marie!" roared Raphael, charging towards the younger turtle.

"Raph, don't!" Mikey exclaimed, latching onto his brother's arm and hauling backwards.

"If you two don't stop it," warned Leo, hauling a kicking Marie backwards.

"He started it!" Marie yelled and Raphael rushed towards her again, dragging Mikey behind him.

"Why you!"

"SHUT UP!!" shouted Donatello, whirling around in his computer chair to glare at the others. "You're not helping!" he snapped as the others stared at him, "And we could be running out of time for all you know, so just shut up and sit down on the couch." They were all so shocked that Donatello had raised his voice that they just stood there, staring at him. He whipped back around and started typing again.

A few minutes later there was a relieved sigh. "Didja find her?" asked Mikey, walking over to the computer. He leaned over and saw a white dot blinking softly on the screen. Marie ran up beside him and squeezed in-between her two brothers.

"That's her," Donnie said, nodding to the screen. Another blip appeared, this one blinking purple. "And that's us. She's in downtown Manhattan somewhere. It looks as if it's in the business district."

"That doesn't make sense," said Leo, crossing his arms, "Why would they carry a mutant turtle down to the business district?"

"Who cares?" said Raphael, storming off towards the entrance, "She won't be there long enough for us to find out." He was going to enjoy slicing through the men who had stolen his kid sister.

Donatello snatched the portable tracker and stuffed it into his belt as he grabbed his shoulder bag.

Marie ran off down the hallway and Leo waited at the door for her. "What were you doing?" asked Leo and she opened her hand, revealing a pair of senbon.

"There're Rina's extras, just incase she needs them," said Marie, biting her lower lip.

Leo nodded, "Good thinking, Marie." He ruffled his sister's hair and pointed to the sewers. "Well, let's go get Rina."

"Yeah!" shouted Marie, pumping the air with her fist. She dashed ahead of Leonardo and jumped into the Battle Shell after Mikey. Taking the vehicle would be faster than any running they could do. Donnie revved up the engine and the garage door opened. Soon they were peeling off down the street at a breakneck speed.

Marie sighed and glanced up at the roof, "Hang on, Rina, we're coming…"

Rina breathed slowly, trying hard to calm herself. She needed to think of a way to get out of this mess. Master Splinter had taught them that there was always a way out, it just had to be discovered. It was hard to concentrate on finding an escape when she heard the humans talking around her, preparing things, turning on machines, placing more needles… A weight dropped in her stomach as she saw someone lift a needle and squirt it experimentally in the air. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her fingers felt weightless. Someone snapped something and she felt a mask being shoved onto her face. Wet oxygen and some sort of sedative flooded into her lungs. She felt like lead on the table, unable to help herself. Still, she managed not to cry.

The whirr of machines filled her ears as she laid there, the humans rushing around her. They were all excited; they saw her as some great science experiment. Rina wanted to explain that she felt the same emotions that they did, but her tongue felt like a heavy weight and she couldn't talk through the oxygen mask. An x-ray machine was brought over and they quickly took x-rays of each part of her body. Next, someone brought over an ultrasound machine; she could feel the probe moving along her soft lower plastron. Hands were touching her…Faces loomed over and they were all talking.

"A female…"

"How lucky. It's an adolescent."

"…one of those we lost…"

"She looks so young…"

"…what if the boys don't take to her?"

"Artificial insemination will work just as well."

"It seems so unnatural though."

"Ironic! She's unnatural."

Rina's eyes widened and her hands clenched into fists. How dare they talk like she wasn't right there under them! She wanted to squirm away from their touch, but she found she was still unable to move very much, so she gave a soft growl instead.

"And what if the egg doesn't take?" Another spoke. "Then what do we do with her?"

"Dispose of her, dissect her, whatever we please," one stated enthusiastically. "We only need her for breeding, anyway."

Rina gulped somewhat, not liking the sounds of their plans at all. She licked her dry lips and tried to think of something - anything - that would get her out of her current predicament.

Back in the Battle Shell, Marie was screaming at her brother to drive faster. "Faster Donnie! Faster!" She screamed. "We hafta save Rina!"

"If I drive any faster, we're going to attract unwanted attention!" Donatello snapped, becoming annoyed with the girl, though he understood perfectly well why she was in such a state.

"You shoulda let Raph drive!" Marie snapped back. "He knows how to drive faster!"

"Marie, shut-up!" Donatello yelled finally, as he jerked the Battle Shell around a sharp corner, causing everyone in the back not holding on to fall over - namely, Marie.

"Dammit!" She growled, managing to get herself back up after a few moments of tumbling around. She held tight to Michaelangelo's hand, as she steadied herself. "You did that on purpose, Donnie!"

"Marie, either leave Donnie alone or I’ll have Raph kick you in the rear again," Leo threatened, not wanting her to harass their brother while he was driving - that could prove disastrous for them all.

"We're here," Donatello announced finally, parking the Battle Shell in a safe, secret location.

"Now, here's the plan," Leo began, yanking Marie back before she could jump out of the Battle Shell. "We stick together and watch each other's back. We don't know how many of them are in there, or just how many have weapons or darts. We have to be extra careful."

"Marie," Raph snorted, receiving a glare from the girl.

"We have to use our stealth and the element of surprise to the very best of our abilities," Leo continued, ignoring the two.

"Marie," Raph said again, earning himself a jab from Michaelangelo of all people.

"Shush Dude, she knows," Mikey told him.

"And if things get too out of control, Marie, you're to get out of there as quick as possible," Leo stated firmly, giving her his stern leader/older brother gaze. "I mean it. I don't want to have to kick your shell myself for not following instructions."

"I'll try," Marie replied. "But I can't make any promises."

"Good enough," Leo nodded. "Now, c'mon!"

Rina had been transferred to where the male turtles were - about seven of them. Only a select few even came close to resembling her at all, as the others mostly just looked like turtles, though they could do some odd human things. And as she listened to the one lab coat woman talk, it turned out some of the boys didn't talk, as they hadn't adapted the ability too. She grunted as she was tossed into a cell, still shackled as she'd been deemed dangerous though unarmed.

Rina lay on the ground for a moment, still feeling out of sorts. Everything hurt and she was tired of being shoved around and talked about as if she couldn't understand what was going on. She noticed that her hands were shaking and she made them into fists. She wasn't weak, dammit! Suddenly a hand touched her shoulder. She jerked back, away from the touch.

"Are you alright?" a gentle, male voice asked.

Squatting in front of her was a mutant turtle that looked very much like herself and her siblings. Like the girls, he had a mop of hair on his head, though his was shaggy and black.

Rina stared at him as he repeated his question, "I said, are you alright?"

She nodded her head slowly, "Yeah."

He smiled a bit, "Good. I thought you might not be able to talk like some of the others."

He knelt down next to her and helped her sit up. She was too startled to stop him. "I'm sorry, but I can't take these off," he said, motioning to the shackles. "I don't have the key."

"S'okay," Rina sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. She guessed that this was who she was supposed to mate with. Oh, she just wanted to be back at the lair… Her head drooped forward onto her knees and she started to cry. To hell with being a kunoichi, she wanted her family!

She was surprised when the male touched her arm and said, "It's okay. You can cry."

Her shoulders shook and she leaned against him, thankful for any friendship in this disgusting place. After a few minutes, she lifted her head and looked at him with searching eyes.

"I'm Catarina," she said, giving a sigh.

"Well, I'm T29," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"That's a terrible name," said Rina, managing to smile a little.

The male smirked, "Can you think of something better?"

"Of course," said Rina, turning her hazel eyes on him. "How about….Rembrandt?"

"Rembrandt…" said the turtle, playing with the sound on his tongue, "Sounds good to me. Better than a letter and some numbers."

Leonardo led the way down the corridors with Donatello giving him directions. Each time they saw a video camera, someone had to strike it down and make it inoperative. Marie was taking special pleasure with this, using her shuriken to break each of the cameras. The team of five hurried down the hallways, trying to stay out of the view of any curious humans. They had only one run-in with a scientist but a simple knock on the head from Raphael had him lying out on the floor, unconscious. After a while, they came to a dead end.

"Donnniiiee!!" said Marie, turning to her brother in purple. "There's nothing here!"

Donatello scowled down at the machine in his hands. "There should be a door here or something," he said, looking up at the wall.

"Well, there ain't!" declared Marie, waving her arms in the air.

"Marie, shh," Leo said, shaking his head at her.

Marie glared back at him and leaned against the wall. A keypad suddenly appeared, its buttons gleaming up at her. "Hey, Donnie, look!" she said, pointing at the keypad.

He grinned and walked towards the keypad. "Hmm, it should be a fairly simple code…"

They all waited impatiently, as Donatello began to type in what he figured would be the code. Finally, the wall opened up to reveal several cells and mutant turtles, not all of them like themselves. Marie darted forward, only to be yanked back by one of her brothers.

"Stealth!" Leo hissed quietly, as they all cautiously entered the room.

"RINA!" Marie exclaimed loudly, upon spotting her sister.

"Dammit! Marie!" Raphael cursed, quickly looking around to see if anyone had heard them.

Rina looked up in surprise at hearing her sister's voice. "Marie?" She called, though not as loud as her sister had been. "Marie!?!"

Marie ran for where her sister's voice came from and froze when she saw her leaning against a male turtle, who looked to be their age.

"Man, we lose yah for a lil' more than an hour, an' already you gotta boyfriend," Marie smirked, though highly relieved to have found her sister. She frowned when she saw that Rina was in shackles. "What did they do to you, Kitty?" She demanded, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Donatello appeared then, and began fiddling with the lock. "Hey Rina," he smiled, as he worked.

"Donnie," Rina breathed a sigh of relief. If Donnie was there as well, it meant her sister hadn't foolishly come alone.

"I was gonna come alone," Marie stated, as if reading her sister's mind. "But Raph kicked some sense into my rear end."

Rina gave a soft laugh, "Only you would have your common sense in your rear."

Marie shrugged, as she nudged Donatello. "Hurry it up!"

"Uh, guys, we got company!" Mikey's voice rang out, as people in lab coats came running from all directions.

"Shit!" Raphael growled, quickly brandishing his sai.

Rembrandt looked shocked, as he watched the two mutant turtles by the door to the cell him and Catarina were in. "There's more of us?" He gasped in surprise.

"No shit, Sherlock," Marie replied, darting a quick glance back to where the others were.

"Donnie! We need you!" Leo's voice rang out, as sounds of a fight could be heard.

"I'm kinda busy, Leo!" Donnie shouted back. "The lock's tricky!"

"I'll go!" Marie piped up, looking eager to go and kick some serious shell.

"No!" Donatello snapped. "You stay here and guard Rina, while I go help them out."

Marie grumbled angrily, kicking the floor somewhat, as Donnie hurried off to help their brothers fight off the lab coat baddies.

"Yanno....." Marie trailed off, after Donnie had left them alone. "This lock looks like a puzzle I did in a toy store once...."

Rina's eyes went wide. "You actually went in a toy store!?" She asked, surprised her sister had been that defiant and daring.

"Yah better believe it," Marie answered, as she eyed the lock a moment before beginning to fiddle with it. "I'ma have you an' yer friend outta here in no time."

"Rembrandt. His name's Rembrandt," Rina informed her, as she listened to the girl picking the lock grumble.

"Which is a whole lot better than T29, if you ask me," Rembrandt smiled.

Marie froze as her head snapped up. "T29?" She repeated, suddenly looking quite fearful. She glanced around quickly, then went back to fighting with the lock, only in much more of a hurry now.

"Marie, what's wrong?" Rina questioned. "Well, other than the obvious."

Marie shook her head, as the door finally opened. "Not important, Rina." She quickly went over to her sister and pulled out the senbon, picking the shackle locks with them. Soon as those locks clicked, she handed the senbon to Rembrandt. "Give her these once she's loose," she told him. "I hafta make sure the coast's clear."

"Well, well, well," another voice spoke. "If it isn't T35."

Marie's eyes went huge as saucers, as she whipped around only to find the man that had been haunting her dreams for the past couple weeks.

"It's nice of you to come back to us," the man smiled. "Now we can impregnate you, as well as your sister, T36."

Marie's eyes narrowed angrily. "You'll do no such thing," she spoke dangerously. "Our brothers will kill you. I'll kill you."

The man laughed. "You are not skilled nor strong enough to kill me, T35. You're foolish to even think it weakling; you're nothing but a freak of nature."

Rina darted a quick look around, noticing their brothers had not come back and they could still be heard fighting out in the hall way. She quickly and secretly took her senbon from Rembrandt, just as her sister flew off the handle.

"Weak? Weak? WEAK!?!?" Marie exploded, charging the man with more fury than ever burning within her. Nobody called her weak and got away with it! No one!

The man was caught off guard as the young turtle crashed into him, sending both of them to the ground.

Marie started to punch him in the face as he tried to throw her off of him. "I'll teach you to laugh at me! Call me weak?! WHY I OUTTA!! DAMN YOU!" she screamed as her fist repeatedly made contact with his head. The man grabbed her wrists and shoved her off, but she came at him again, yelling at the top of her lungs, "I swear I'll make you pay!" Her face was contorted with uncontainable rage as she tackled him again.

Rina and Rembrandt slipped out of their cage, Rembrandt with a supportive arm wrapped around Rina's waist. Rina noticed that while Marie slammed the man with her fist, he was trying to reach into his pocket. He was pulling a cylinder out…a hypodermic needle! Rina steeled herself against her fears and yelled to her sister, "Marie, move off!"

The turtle in the purple and yellow bandanna was too far gone in her rage to pay attention. Rina steadied her shaking hand and flicked one of her senbon through the air. It missed and embedded in his side. He let out a pained shout and grabbed at the senbon, momentarily forgetting about the needle.

"Rina, back off, it's my fight!" Marie yelled, tossing a glare at her sister.

"He's going to stick you, you idiot!" Rina shouted back, furious that Marie wasn't paying her any attention.

"Shut up, I'm gonna finish him!" Marie roared, turning around and grabbing a sai from her belt. All her fear and anger came rushing to the forefront as the man suddenly grinned up at her through his pain.

"What's it like, T35? To feel so helpless and so frustrated and not even know where you came from?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Be quiet! No on wants you to talk!" Marie snarled, bringing her sai down beside his head, burying it in the floor. How dare he even speak to her!

Rina stepped forward, terrified that Marie was going to kill the man. She might have hated him for being a scientist and everything, but they were taught not to take a life. It was a major taboo in their family. Rina took her second senbon in her hand and launched it. This one lodged in one of the man's pressure points and he seized up, frozen.

Marie was confused for a moment then she took another swing at him with her free hand.

Rembrandt glanced at Rina, "What's wrong with her?"

Rina shook her head and walked over to Marie, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Marie, please stop," she said, kneeling down next to her.

Marietta had her sai raised, ready to pierce the scientist and give him the final death blow. She glanced at Rina out of the corner of her eye. Her sister…they had taken her again, they deserved to die! They wanted to do horrible things to herself; they had done horrible things when she was little… Marie's hand clenched around the sai as it hovered above the man's chest. One downward swipe and she'd never have to worry about him again. She could hear Rina talking to her, begging her not to do it. Somehow her sister's calm, tired voice broke through her rage. She saw what she was about to do and she dropped the sai. The metal weapon clattered on the floor and laid there. Marie turned to look at Rina and then fell into her sister's arms. For the second time that night, one of her siblings wrapped their arms around her and let her cry.

Leonardo walked back into the room where he and his brothers had left their sisters. He found an odd scene: Marie was in Rina's arms, crying, while a man in lab coat was gasping for breath nearby, a senbon buried in an area near his collar bone. The male turtle was standing nearby, obviously confused by all the commotion. He went over to his sisters and touched Rina's arms. She looked up at him with such a sad, exhausted expression that he just wanted to grab her and never let anything bad happen to her again.

"Marie's freaking out," she said softly, stroking her sister's head comfortingly.

Leo sighed and looked at the darker turtle girl. She was shivering in her sister's arms, her eyes watching the man lying nearby. "Come on, we've got to get out of here," he said, reaching over and shaking Marie's arm gently.

The turtle in purple and yellow nodded and stood up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

Rina gave her an encouraging half-smile, "Atta girl."

Michelangelo ran into the room, followed by Raphael and Donatello. Mikey went over to Rina and nearly smothered her with her a hug. He buried his head in her hair and held her as close as he could. "God, Rina, I'd think you were trying to give me a heart attack or something," he muttered, holding her as if she'd disappear or something. Though he had tried not to show it, he had been freaking out the entire time she had been gone, worried that they'd get there too late or wouldn't be able to find her.

"Sorry, Mikey, I didn't mean too," she replied.

"Let's go, people, it ain't like we're here to watch the game or somethan!" Raphael snapped, trying to rush them all out of the room.

Leo nodded, "They're probably going to find more people. Out, now!"

As if to increase the urgency, a siren began to ring in the distance. The family headed out the door, but Rina grabbed the door frame as they left, "Rembrandt, you're coming too."

"What?" he asked, staring after them.

"Get a move on it, kid!" yelled Raphael. Rembrandt blinked and then rushed after them, trying his best to keep up with the ninja family. Amazingly, they made it out of the building without too much more trouble and they all piled into the Battle Shell to head back to the lair.

Donatello quickly got him, his siblings, and their new friend out of there as fast and un-suspicious as he possibly could. He did not for them to run into even more trouble - they'd definitely had more than enough for one night. Once they were far enough away, he slowed down and dared to take a bit of a longer look in the rearview mirror, smiling at what he saw. Rina was next to Mikey, introducing him and Leo to Rembrandt - her new friend, who'd also more than likely end up as a new family member. While the four of them talked, Marie had managed to weasel her way into Raphael's safe and warm embrace, as she continued to sniffle. He knew they'd have to question the girls about what had happened in their absence, as they both seemed pretty shook up about it.

Soon enough - though it didn't seem like it - they were all once more safely back at home.

The seven of them strolled in - the girls still attached to the same brothers as before - smiling, as they found Master Splinter sitting in his arm chair, awaiting their arrival.

"Hello, my children. You are back, safe and sound at last," he smiled, his eyes showing his relief.

"Sensei!" Rina exclaimed, immediately running for him and hugging him tightly.

Master Splinter hugged the girl tight, extremely relieved that she appeared to be unharmed. "How are you, my daughter?"

"It was just awful, father!" Rina wailed somewhat, burying her face into his soft fur. "They poked me, and prodded me, and stuck me with needles!"

Master Splinter rubbed calming circles on her shell, as he felt her shudder at just the mere mention of the dreaded needles she hated most.

"And they wanted to impregnate me!" Rina exclaimed. "And some dude kept touching the lower half of my plastron and stuff! It was horrible! I thought I was never going to see you again!"

"Shh...." Master Splinter soothed, pulling the young teenage girl into his lap, as he began to rock her.

Marie growled from her spot next to Raphael. "Be a damned cold day in Hell before they impregnate my sister!" She snarled. "Or me!"

"No one is going to do any sort of thing to either of you," Master Splinter said soothingly.

"Well, I dare them to try! I'll freakin' kill 'em!" rumbled Marie, her arms crossed over her chest.

Rina pulled away from Master Splinter, composed yet again. "Yeah, you'd say that," she said, giving her sister a gentle smile.

Master Splinter sighed; he wished that she would just let loose more often and say what she truly felt, like Marie or Raphael. She had too much of Mikey in her; they both believed that plastering a smile over it would make everything better. Leonardo felt his blood boil as his sister told their father what had happened to her. Besides introducing them to Rembrandt, she had been rather quiet and reserved.

Leo took a deep breath, quelling his anger. He obviously wasn't the only one who felt this way. He saw Raphael staring at Rina, fists clenched and eyes hard. Even Mikey looked angry. He hated to think of what would happen if something had gone wrong during that rescue mission.

Rina slipped off Master Splinter's lap and bowed to him. She hated to appear like a cry baby in front of her family.

"I'm glad to be home, Sensei." She then turned to Donatello, "Um, Donnie, could you give me a hand? I sorta need to bandage these up, and I'm not really good with all that First Aid stuff." She showed him her forearms that were speckled with needle pricks.

Donnie sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I'll help you." The two of them went back to his lab.

Master Splinter shook his head and turned his attention to the new turtle in his presence. He had noticed the boy when they had walked in, but he had been too concerned about his own children to worry about him. Now he took in the new turtle. He was taller than the girls but still shorter than his sons. He had thick black hair and soft grey eyes; he wore no distinguishing bandanna.

"Good evening, young one," Master Splinter said, beckoning him forward.

Rembrandt glanced at Leonardo uncertainly. The older turtle nodded at him and he stepped towards the rat. "Hello, sir," he said, "I'm Rembrandt. Catarina named me."

"It is a nice name," said Master Splinter. He turned his head to the side, "Does my appearance not startle you?"

Rembrandt smirked, "Sir, I've seen a lot more startling things than an abnormally large rat."

Master Splinter smiled at him and then looked back at his sons. "You have seen my family. We are ninjas, and we lead a life in the shadows. If you stay here, are you prepared to lead that life?" he asked seriously.

Rembrandt nodded, "I'm ready for anything that doesn't involve going back to the lab. I'm sorry, sir, but I can't go back there."

"And we will not make you," replied Master Splinter, folding his hands in his lap.

Marie glanced up at Raphael, "Does this mean we have another brother?"

"Yeah, ya little punk, it does," he replied, smirking down at her, "Got a problem with it?"

Marietta let out an exaggerated groan, "Not another oooonnee!" She stomped around in aggravation while Rembrandt stared at her.

Mikey clapped him on the back, "Don't worry about her, she gets like that."

"Mikey!" cried Marie, jumping at him. He laughed and caught her, tickling her in the process. She laughed with joy and Rembrandt got to see one of his kind happy for once.

In his lab, Donnie was wrapping clean white bandages around Rina's arms. He hated that she had been injured and practically tortured like this; it wasn't fair to her, she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Donnie, don't look so bummed out," teased Rina, giving him a soft grin.

Don shook his head and stared at her, "How can you possibly be so calm?"

She shrugged her shoulders and fiddled with an extra bandage. "I'm just trying to forget about it. No use to dwell on it, right?" she said, her smile faltering, "Nothing irreparable happened, so it's okay."

"No, it's not okay," Donatello replied. "You'd an injustice done to you - a major one - and there is no need to pretend like it never happened, if you feel like crying and getting all upset about it. There is nothing wrong with being upset, Rina. We're not going to tease you or judge you for it. The only thing we want to do is make it better - hold you close as tight as we can, if it'll help. But don't feel as though you have to be strong all the time. Heck, even Marie and Raph fall apart at times."

"I'm fine, Donnie," Rina insisted, as he finished bandaging her up. "I didn't even hafta tell you guys what happened......but Sensei's got a way of getting it out of you, even if you're only receiving a hug."

Donnie shook his head. "Well, if you ever decide you need to break down, I'm here, alright?"

Rina nodded. "I know, but I'm going to be just fine. I'm home now," she smiled softly. "You should really worry about Rembrandt. He doesn't know the ways of the ninja yet."

Donatello sighed, and kissed her forehead. "You're free to go, Rina," he told her. "Just no leaving the lair anytime soon, please."

Rina rolled her eyes as she hopped down off the table. "Relax, will you? I'd have never gotten caught if I'd stayed with you - next time Marie does something stupid, you guys save her," she replied, heading for the doorway. "Now, goodnight."

"Night," Donnie sighed, shaking his head some.

"Hey Rina! You hungry?" Marie asked. "Mikey found a stash of chocolate for us!"

"You eat it," Rina stated. "I'm not hungry."

"But you haven't eaten since dinner! You hafta be starvin' by now!" Marie exclaimed. "An' it's chocolate! How can you resist that!?!"

"I said I'm not hungry!" Rina snapped, stalking briskly past everyone.

"Well, fine then," Marie responded. "Be that way. Rembrandt can eat yours!" She turned and gave the new male turtle of the family a piece of chocolate, which he eyed momentarily before cautiously taking a bite of, smiling a moment later.

"This is good!!" Rembrandt beamed.

"I told you!" Marie grinned, as she too was trying to forget what had happened - almost, in her case. Who knew she was capable of such rage? She was still shocked she almost killed the evil man, but also shocked that she hadn't - though, she had really wanted too.

"Night, Sensei," Rina said then, kissing the old rat's furry cheek. "Love you."

"Love you, my child," Master Splinter smiled softly. "Sleep well."

Rina nodded, and left the den, heading for the room she shared with Marie. She couldn't wait to be safe and sound in her own bed. She was completely exhausted!

"Hey, where's Rembrandt gonna sleep?" Marie asked, while the two of them munched on the chocolate Mikey had found for them once he'd finished his tickling spree.

"I am sure we will be able to find a good place for him," Master Splinter spoke re-assuringly.

"He can have my room tonight, Sensei," Leonardo offered. "I was going to sleep out here on the couch anyway."

"Suck-up," Raphael muttered, though he wasn't mad with Leo, he was still pissed off with those mad scientists who'd stolen his kid sister and had plans to impregnate her. He growled somewhat, then stormed off down the hallway, to ensure that Rina was still alright.

Rina was sitting on the edge of her bed, gripping the covers with her hands. She had attempted to lay down and fall asleep but every time she closed her eyes, she was back there in that awful room. And man, was she tired! Her eyelids drooped…silver needles, monitors, human faces. She jerked her head back up and gasped. She heard the doorknob jangle and she jumped up, snatching a kaiken from the nightstand.

Raphael stepped into the room. He glanced at the kaiken in her hand and saw the fearful look in her eyes. "Rina…" he started, and she tossed the knife to the side.

"S-s-sorry, Raph, thought you were someone else," she said, trying to smile at him but failing.

Raphael watched as she picked up the kaiken and put it back on the nightstand before sitting down on her bed again.

"Did you need something?" she asked, looking up at him.

Raphael stared at her. He was used to dealing with anger by punching something or yelling. That was how Marie reacted to things, he could deal with that. But Rina's quiet, passive acceptance was abnormal and he was uncertain of what to do.

"Damn…" he said, sitting down on the bed beside her, "They really screwed you over, didn't they?"

Rina looked away from him and for a moment, he thought she wasn't going to say anything. Finally, there was a quiet, "Can we not speak about that, Raph?"

"Look, Rina, no one's gonna say anything if you yell or somethan," he said, "It's not like anyone blames you."

"Yeah, but I should've seen them coming," she said, putting her forehead against her kneecaps, "I mean, I was too focused on Marie, I didn't take enough notice of my surroundings. I'll do better next time."

Raphael didn't know what to say. What was wrong with this kid?! She was more worried about blaming herself than getting angry…it reminded him of Leo. "This ain't your fault, Cat," he said, anger coursing through him, "No one could've seen that comin'."

"I should've though," she mumbled into her knees.

Raphael closed his eyes, burying his own anger. He'd let it out later in the dojo; a dummy or two was going down tonight. He ruffled her hair, "We're here for you, Cat. Don't ignore us."

She looked up and gave him a half-smile, "I won't."

He nodded and left the room.

Meanwhile, the rest of the lair was settling in for the night. Leonardo had taken Rembrandt off to show him where he was sleeping. The new turtle had never slept in an actual bed before. He sunk down onto the mattress and fell asleep almost instantly. Donatello drifted off to his room to crash for the night. Mikey had gone off to his own room while Marie had sat down on the couch. She didn't really feel like going to bed and maybe there was something good on TV. She aimlessly flipped through the channels, wandering past all her favorite TV shows. She didn't actually feel like watching TV either. She flipped off the TV and went off down the hallway. Someone was pounding the punching bag in the dojo, she could hear them as she walked down the hall. She poked her head in and saw Raphael attacking the punching bag, his fists flying. She walked in and sat down on the mat. It was nice to be near one of her brothers; she felt like she needed their support then.

After a while, Raphael came over and sat down beside her. He was sweaty and reeked, but Marie was glad to have him beside her.

"I almost killed him," she finally said, unable to contain it any more.

Raphael glanced at her, "And?"

"And…" Marie said, almost hesitantly, "I wanted to kill him. I didn't think I could, but I wanted to." She looked up at him, her green eyes confused, "Is that bad?"

Raphael sighed and fondled one of his sai. "You were angry, right?" he asked. He was better capable to deal with this sort of rage. She nodded and glanced at the floor in embarrassment. "I can understand your anger, but why'd you wanna kill him?" asked Raphael, watching her reaction.

Her eyes narrowed and grew hard, "He was the man from my nightmares. I remember him from when I was younger." Her hands molded into fists. "I hate him."

"Killing out of hate isn't the way of the ninja," Raphael spoke after a moment of silence, as he thought of how to word what he wanted to say. "Killing to protect the ones you love isn't all that great either, but in our case it's almost necessary, every time we fight an enemy."

"He hurt Rina," Marie argued some. "I was protecting her."

"Marie, who were you really protecting?" Raph demanded somewhat. "Truthfully."

"Me," Marie squeaked softly. "But Rina too! I mean, look what he did to her! He hurt her! I had to get him back for it!"

"Revenge isn't all that much fun either, Kid," Raph told her. "Believe me, I'd know."

"But how do you know when it's okay?"

"It's never okay to kill someone," Raph replied. "But sometimes - like when it comes to The Foot - it's absolutely necessary. When we kill off a Foot Soldier, we're not only protecting ourselves, but the city as well. It's like when the cops kill off a crazed gunman to protect the innocent people who live here. It's our job to protect the city, when the police can't - they can't be everywhere at once."

"But what about all those other turtles we left behind? What's going to happen to them?" Marie wanted to know.

"I honestly can't tell yah, Kid," Raph sighed. "But, I'm sure we'll think of something, to ensure their safety."

Marie sighed then, looking back down at the floor, as she sat there next to her brother. She still really wanted to go back and kill that evil man for all that he had done. Maybe once things cooled down some, she would.....

Rina, meanwhile, still lie awake in their room, unable to close her eyes for a moment's peace. She growled softly, as she opened her eyes once more.

"Go away!" She exclaimed quietly. She rubbed her eyes in annoyance, and moved to sit upon the floor. Maybe if she meditated, the images would leave her be. She closed them, after having gotten into position, only to jump about three feet when she heard the door open.

"Whoa, easy there," Leo spoke, upon seeing Rina immediately jump up into a fighting stance. "I just came to say goodnight."

Rina heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Don't do that!" She told him, somewhat angry. "What is with you guys and sneaking in like that tonight!?!"

"Sorry?" Leo replied, raising his eye ridges a bit. "You alright?"

"I'm fine!" Rina snapped, sitting back down.

"May I ask what you're doing?" Leo countered.

"Meditating; what's it look like?" Rina answered shortly.

"Would you like some company?" Leo inquired, as he sat next to her on the floor.

Rina eyed him warily. "Well, seems I'm getting it anyway," she mumbled, closing her eyes once more.

Leo gently reached out and took hold of her hand, squeezing it after feeling her flinch. He too, then closed his eyes to meditate, though he was really just there to ensure her safety.

Rina calmed herself by breathing slowly and tried to clear her mind of everything, leaving a blank space, but of course, that reminded her of when they had shot her with a tranquilizer. Her hands trembled, and she opened her eyes. Darn it. She tried again. This time she focused on the lamp light, its dull glow…that morphed into the light that hung over the table. Shit, shit, shit… She put both hands up to her eyes and sighed. How was she ever going to go to sleep like this? She glanced over and saw Leo looking at her.

"What?" she asked, putting her chin in her hand as she put her elbow on her knee. "Are you going to tell me that I need to spew everything out to you guys? That I need to get this off my chest before it eats me alive or something?" she demanded, thinking that he was going to tell her off for not telling everyone everything.

Leo sighed and shook his head, "No, I'm not."

Rina blinked, "Oh…" A smile touched her face, "Thanks."

"No problem," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "You'll tell someone if you want to."

They sat there in silence, Rina occasionally nodding off before jerking her head back off.

Eventually Marie came into the room. She cocked an eye ridge when she saw Leonardo. "Are you camping out in here tonight, Leo?" she asked as she jumped up on her bed and curled up under the covers.

"He doesn't need to," said Rina, glancing over at Leo.

Leonardo looked at her and nodded. "No, Marie, I'm out on the couch tonight, remember?" he teased, standing up from Rina's bed. He kissed the top of Rina's head and then tucked Marie in. He left the room, leaving the two girls by themselves.

Marie was about to strike up a conversation, but Rina turned over and mumbled, "Night." Marie sighed and turned off the light, "Night Rina."

The next morning, Rembrandt woke up to the smell of toast and bacon cooking. He had never smelt such heavenly aromas. He jumped up from Leo's bed and ran out of the room. He skidded into the kitchen and stared at the oven.

"What is that?" he asked, going straight to Mikey's side.

The orange-bandanna'd turtle grinned at him, glad to have an appreciative food consumer. "It's bacon and toast and eggs," he replied, sliding his spatula across the skillet.

"What's that?" asked Rembrandt, looking up at the older turtle, expecting an answer.

"Um…pieces of pig, baked flour, and chicken embryos?" he said, not certain of how to describe breakfast foods. He looked over at Donatello who was contentedly munching on a piece of toast. "Hey, Donnie, wanna explain breakfast?" Mikey asked.

Donnie shook his head, "Nope. You're the cook."

Mikey pulled a face and then nodded at the plates, "Hey, grab a plate, I'll fill it up."

Rembrandt snatched a plate and handed it to Mikey. The turtle in orange put a couple of eggs on it, a piece of toast and some bacon. Rembrandt was already stuffing the bacon into his face when he sat down at the table.

Leonardo smirked at him, "Like it?"

"Meah!" exclaimed Rembrandt through a mouthful of toast.

"Y'know ya can put jelly and butter and stuff like that on it, right?' asked Marie as she walked in and saw him munching down.

"What are those?" he asked, confused.

"Man, Marie, help him!" Mikey said, exasperated with the new turtle.

Marie grinned and sat down to next to Rembrandt. "Hey, you, this is jelly…" she said as she moved the jelly over towards him. "And this is butter, and here's some honey! It goes on the toast."

"Really? What does it do to the toast?" Rembrandt asked suspiciously.

Marie laughed, "Makes it taste better, you goof."

Rina walked into the kitchen, tightening the newly cleaned white and blue bandanna around her head. "Morning everyone!" she said, smiling at them as she sat down at the table.

"Morning, Rina! Whatcha want for breakfast?" asked Mikey, flipping a piece of bacon. She shook her head, "I'm not really hungry, thanks though." She looked at Rembrandt and smirked, "You need a bandanna…"

"What's....?" Rembrandt started, only to be cut off.

"These things," Marie told him, pointing to her own bandanna. "They help tell us apart, though some of us you c'n tell apart just by how we act or our voices. Well, really, I think Sensei just gives these out so we can look cool and not feel so naked."

Rembrandt nodded, as he quickly opened up the jar of honey. "How....?"

Marie laughed. "Here, lemme show yah!" She told him, grabbing a slice of toast for herself, a knife, and some peanut butter. "See? You stick the knife in the jar, scoop some out, an' spread it on the toast. Simple."

Rembrandt nodded, and copied what she had done, only using honey instead of peanut butter. Once he'd the honey on his toast, he took a bite. "Mm.....heavenly!" He murmured.

Mikey smirked as he kept making the eggs and bacon. "I'm glad somebody knows good food when they taste it," he joked, then eyed his other sister. "You sure you don't want anything to eat?"

"No, I'm fine, really," Rina replied, smiling softly at her brother in orange. "If I get hungry, I'll eat later. Promise."

Mikey nodded, satisfied with the answer he'd gotten. "Marie? How yah want your eggs?"

"Scrambled with cheese!" Marie exclaimed happily. "And soft bacon, Mikey! I don't like the crisp stuff."

"Picky, picky," Mikey teased.

"Ah, shaddup," Marie replied, tossing a piece of toast crust at him.

Rembrandt laughed at them, as he finished up his breakfast.

"Wow! You were hungry!" Marie exclaimed.

"Would you like more?" Rina asked Rembrandt softly. "We've got plenty, I'm sure."

"Really? Wow!" Rembrandt said. "I've never been able to have seconds before."

"Well, here you can have seconds, thirds, heck fourths if you'd like," Mikey replied.

"Just don't make it a habit," Leo piped up. "We have food, but sometimes it's hard to come by."

Rembrandt nodded his understanding, just as Raphael and Master Splinter entered the kitchen.

"Morning!" Rembrandt smiled.

"Good morning, my son," Master Splinter smiled. Rembrandt blushed some, looking away sheepishly. He'd never been called 'son' before, but he sure did like it. "Catarina, my child, how are you this morning?" Master Splinter queried, upon spotting his blue and white bandanna wearing daughter. "Are you not partaking in the most important meal of the day?"

"I'm fine," Rina replied for what felt to be the billionth time. "And no, I'm not hungry right now, Sensei. Maybe later."

Everyone sat and ate breakfast happily, none more excited about it than Rembrandt. Once the meal was over, everyone sort of disappeared off on their own; each of them doing whatever they felt like until it was time for practice.

Michaelangelo was happily showing their new brother the television set. "Rembrandt, you're going to love this device!" He enthused. "Trust me on it!"

Rembrandt listened excitedly, eager to learn about everything they felt like showing him.

While the two sat and watched television, Master Splinter retreated to his study to mediate, and to decide what colour bandanna his new son would be receiving. Donnie headed straight for his lab, deciding to make Marie a new tracker, and one for Rembrandt as well - this way, if one of them were to be abducted again, he'd be able to find them easily - least, he hoped so. And if Marie griped about it, he'd kick her in the rear himself! Leo and Raph headed off to the dojo to spar, as both were still frustrated about the previous night. Rina and Marie on the other hand, both headed straight for their room - Marie only going because Rina was.

"Will you quit following me!?" Rina exclaimed, whirling on her sister as they reached the bedroom entrance.

"Hello! It's my room too!" Marie pointed out. "I need to clean my sai!"

Rina rolled her eyes at her sister, but entered the room nonetheless - so much for her private moments of solitude she'd been seeking. Rina flopped down upon her bed, and idly played with a stuffed animal, while Marie sat down upon her bed and began cleaning her sai.

"Kitty?" Marie spoke softly, after a few minutes of silence. "Did they hurt you really bad?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Marie!" Rina snapped a bit, as she was extremely frustrated and everyone was starting to drive her bonkers!

"But I wanna know what they did to you," Marie insisted. "So, yanno...."

"So you can go back and kick their rears?" Rina finished, turning to eye her sister warily. "Stay away from them, Marie. They're dangerous."

"I never said that," Marie replied. "An' besides, I've a right too. They hurt you."

"Marie! For once in your life, will you just listen to what people are telling you!?!" Rina growled, whipping the stuffed animal at her sister, who caught it with startled ease. "If you had've listened last night, none of this would've happened! I wouldn't have had to save you! And we both woulda come home just fine last night!"

"But Rina, I was just trying to help…" started Marie, feeling hurt that her sister was putting the blame on her, even if she deserved some of it.

"Just leave me alone!" Rina shouted, storming out of their room. "You're the last person I want to talk to right now!"

Marie scowled and jumped up. She leaned out of the doorway and yelled, "You have to talk about it sometime, Rina! You have to talk to me! You can't just stay quiet forever, damn it!"

"WATCH ME!" Rina screamed as she walked out of the lair and into the sewers.

"Rina, get back in here!" shouted Mikey, leaning back over the couch.

Rembrandt watched the exchange and then looked at Mikey as the orange banned turtle got up and started to follow Rina. "Um, can I go after her?" he asked, "I think I know how she feels."

Mikey glanced at the hallway where Marie was punching the girls' bedroom door in frustration and then the door that Rina had left out of. He guessed that the girl hadn't gone far; she wouldn't endanger herself like that. She was probably right outside the door…

"Okay, Brandt, but don't let her go out of sight of the door," he said.

Rembrandt nodded, "Got it."

Mikey headed down the hallway. Marie was pummeling the door angrily, one punch flying after the other. "Marie, you're going to get splinters in your hand," he said, leaning against the wall.

"I don't care," she growled, letting loose another punch. He sighed and reached out a hand to stop her. She glared at him as he caught her fist. She pulled back, making him let go of her hand. Grumbling, she slumped against the door and lowered her eyes. "Why won't she talk to me?" she asked softly, rubbing her now aching knuckles.

"She doesn't want to talk to anybody right now," said Mikey, reaching out and ruffling Marie's hair.

"But I just wanna know…" said Marie.

"What, so you’d be more angry?" asked Mikey, shaking his head, "That's not gonna help anything. Besides, I think she'll tell you one day. Just not right now."

"Ugh, her and her code of silence," grumbled Marie, rolling her green eyes. It didn't matter. She'd go back to that place soon and hurt them for what they had done to her…and her sister.

"Isn't it almost time for practice?" Mikey asked, glancing towards the dojo.

"Yeah," said Marie, looking at the clock in her and Rina's room.

"Alright, head down there and punch something that was made to punch," he teased, giving her a shove in that direction.

Marie sighed and nodded before going back into her room to grab her manikiri and sai.

Out in the sewers, Rembrandt had found Rina. She was sitting outside the doorway, her shell pressed against the wall.

"Hey," he said, sitting down cross-legged beside her. "I can't believe you didn't eat this morning. That food Mikey cooked was amaaazing," he said, smiling at the mere memory of it.

Rina smiled, "Yeah, I know. I just wasn't hungry."

"Yeah, I remember when that used to happen to me," he said, giving a sigh that made him sound older than he was, "There were some times that I just didn't want to eat after they did stuff to me." He grinned, "But I couldn't imagine not eating now. Especially with chocolate, wow."

Rina smiled at his enthusiasm; it was the first real smile she had managed since she had gotten back home. "Did you enjoy watching TV?" she asked. She liked the conversation that didn't involve asking how she was or what had happened.

Rembrandt already knew; she didn't need to explain to him. "Yeah, we watched VH1. There was really nice music on it," he said.

"Awesome, that's what you can say instead of nice," she told him, deciding that they could move onto some slang terms.

"Awesome…" he said, testing it out.

Rina nodded, "Yep."

They talked for a little while longer, Rina teaching him some slang while he quickly picked up on it. The door to the lair opened up and Donatello stepped outside.

"It's time for practice. You two should come back in," he said. He was glad to see that they hadn't gone any further than the door.

Rina nodded and the two of them went back inside.

In the dojo, Master Splinter had a surprise for Rembrandt. After the others had bowed in respect, he called the new turtle up to the front. He held out a strip of grey material and had Rembrandt turn around.

"I have decided that you are grey, a color of balance. Hopefully, you will help balance this family." The others smiled at each other; grey would be a good color for him.

“Thank-you, Sir,” Rembrandt spoke, turning and bowing low, as he’d been paying close attention to the others.

Master Splinter smiled at the young turtle and nodded his approval. “Go stand amongst your family, my son,” Master Splinter told him.

Rembrandt flashed him the happiest grin he’d ever had reason to give, and hurried to take his place next to Catarina and Michaelangelo.

Normally Rina and Marie stood next to one another during practice, but they were currently not speaking and Rina was still furious with her sister for not having had listened when she should’ve been the previous night.

“Now, we shall begin,” Master Splinter informed them. “Leonardo, you are to help Rembrandt with some easier aspects of ninjitsu. Everyone else shall practice their katas and sparring, as well as their control.”

Everybody nodded and set about doing as they had been instructed, Leonardo and Rembrandt moving off to one side of the dojo as to be out of the way of everyone else.

Rina moved away from her siblings as well, needing and wanting her space as she was starting to feel overwhelmed with their concern and paranoia. Sure she had been captured, sure she had been traumatized, but it was her it had happened too – not them! She didn’t need them asking if she was alright every five seconds – not unless they all truly wanted for her to go completely insane! She grunted as she pulled her kaiken out and began one of the many katas she knew for it. She needed her peace, and right now this seemed to be the only way she was going to get it. She got into her stance, then began, silently counting and muttering each move in her head as a distraction to all the eyes she could feel on her as she started her one turtle performance.

Master Splinter watched all his pupils like a hawk, more than ready to correct something that had been mis-constructed during the performance of their katas. He was their Sensei, and they had to learn the proper techniques if they were to ever succeed in ninjitsu. He couldn’t help but smile though, as he spotted his oldest son, instructing his now youngest son on how to block and counter-punch effectively. It seemed the young turtle they had brought into their home with open arms was going to be a quick learner indeed, as he had the curiosity of an innocent child – which, in ways, he still was.

Soon enough, it was time to spar and everybody paired up. Mikey and Rina were paired up, as were Raphael and Marie. Donnie got to sit out for a bit, until Leo was finished showing Rembrandt the punch he had been teaching him.

Rina was quite relieved to see who she’d been paired up with, as she knew Mikey wouldn’t drive her bonkers, unless unintentionally right then. They shared the same concept – forgive and forget, and if you can’t forgive, at least forget and move on.

Marie smiled some as she realized she’d been paired up with the brother she idolized to no end – he was her hero, and always would be in her eyes. They sparred for quite a bit, before Raph became annoyed with the way his sister was fighting.

“C’mon Marie, I know yah c’n fight better than that!” He taunted. “I’d expect these kinda moves from Rina today, but not you.”

“Stuff it, Raph!” Marie snapped, giving him a Look of annoyance herself. She didn’t like to be goaded while she was trying to spar.

“Are yah sure that Bastard didn’t abduct you instead? I mean, Yeesh!” Raph continued, wanting to see for himself just how much anger the young turtle held in. “For all we know, he took you instead and drugged yah or somethan.”

Marie growled, her fists clenching her sai in absolute anger – she was becoming extremely furious, as all she could see was that – that man – who had hurt her and her sister repeatedly. She was not going to let him keep doing it time and time again!

Raphael dodged a move she struck out. “C’mon Marie; yer fightin’ like a wuss now. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were nothin’ but a weaklin’.”

Marie saw absolute red then like never before, her eyes narrowing extremely dangerously as she charged her beloved brother in red with a pure cry of fury.

Raphael recognized that blind rage as Marie rushed him. He moved easily out of the way as she let her anger control her movements. If one thing was true, it was that ninjitsu and anger didn't go together. They just were not compatible. Of course, it had taken him a really long time to realize that and he still didn't know how to reconcile his anger with being a ninja. Obviously, he was doing better than his younger sister.

"So, you think being angry is going to make it all better?" Raphael snapped as he grabbed her fist and shoved it to the side.

She didn't reply as she leapt at him again, hands outstretched. He snatched her up and threw her to the ground, holding her hands against the mats. She flipped over and kicked him in the side.

"Stop it, would yah?" growled Raph, pinning her down, "You're not gonna win, and yer probably gonna hurt yourself."

Marie let out a scream and thrust her fist into his plastron.

"Marietta, Raphael, stop this nonsense!" said Master Splinter, walking towards them.

Donatello stepped up beside him, putting a hand on his sensei's shoulder. "I'm not sure you want to get into that right now, Sensei," he said.

The rat looked from him to his two children who were wrestling on the mats. He wanted to break them up, but this battle seemed necessary. The other siblings watched the pair as Marie tore into Raphael, putting the older turtle on the defensive.

Marie was furious. She wasn't weak, she wasn't anywhere near it! She was going to go take that man down and make him pay. But first she had to teach Raphael a lesson. She wasn't weak, and he needed to know that. She was surprised when he drove her into the ground and forced her arms behind her head.

"Lemme go!" she screeched, trying to kick him.

He held her down and leaned down beside her, "Calm down. Right now."

"No! LEMME GO!" roared Marie, trying to pull her arms free.

Rembrandt was staring at the mini-battle that was occurring in the middle of the dojo. He was starting to think that Marie had two personalities, the bouncy, happy one and the angry, violent one. He liked the happier one better. He glanced over at Leo and saw that the turtle in blue was looking at his sister with what could only be disappointment.

"Marie, just stop it," Leonardo said, shaking his head at her.

Marie replied with a series of unintelligible grunts and grumbles as she struggled to free herself from Raphael. Raphael was nearly sitting on Marie who was moving all over the place. Maybe she would give up after a while…

Soon enough, practice was over, much to the relief of everyone, as Marie and Raphael were still going at it - the younger girl still in a fit of rage. Everyone but the two still pretty much wrestling, left the dojo and headed off in their own directions. Mikey, Rembrandt, and Rina heading for the kitchen; Leo and Master Splinter to his study to discuss things; and Donatello to his lab.

"So.....now what do we do?" Rembrandt asked, gulping down the glass of water Mikey had handed him.

"Anything we want," Rina smiled. "You can watch T.V., read a book, practice more ninjitsu, play board games, nap, anything!"

"Wow," Rembrandt said, not used to having so many rather exciting things to choose from. "I'm....not sure what all of that is.....but it sure sounds fun!"

"Ooh! I know! Let's play Twister!" Mikey exclaimed, placing his glass in the sink.

"Twister?" Rembrandt repeated.

"You'll like it," Rina beamed. "It's a whole lot of fun! Even if Leo likes to cheat when he spins."

Mikey chuckled. "That just proves Fearless knows how to have fun," he laughed merrily, leading the way back out into the den as he fetched the game from under the couch - it had been shoved there after the last time they'd played. "I'll spin!"

Rina rolled her eyes. "But, of course."

"How do you play?" Rembrandt asked, eyeing the mat Mikey set upon the floor.

"You just do as Mikey says, without falling over," Rina informed him. "And no sticking your butt on the ground for a rest either, like Marie does! She complains Leo cheats, when she does too!"

Rembrandt smiled, as this game sounded like lots of fun. "I'll try," he promised.

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it," Mikey assured him, as they began to play. "Left hand blue......"

"What is our next course of action, Sensei?" Leonardo queried, as he kneeled before his father after they had closed the door to the Master Splinter's study. "We need to insure that they don't come looking for us - or Rembrandt."

"I believe it may be best to lay low for a few days, and go from there," Master Splinter replied, from where he sat on his mat. "I do not wish for a repeat of last night, and I am forbidding the girls and Rembrandt to leave the lair until further notice. I do not want to see harm come to any of them, anymore than it already has."

"Agreed, Sensei," Leonardo agreed readily. He was going to suggest the girls stay below until further notice - and Rembrandt staying in the lair until further notice was a given, since he didn't know near enough ninjitsu just yet.

"You and your brothers are to do half hour patrols only," Master Splinter continued. "I do not wish to see harm come to any of you either."

"But Sensei - " Leo began, only to have Master Splinter raise his hand to silence him.

"My son, it is for the best at this point in time," Master Splinter stated firmly. "I had best not find out about any of you leaving the lair any longer than necessary, or there shall be dire consequences."

"Hai, Sensei," Leonardo replied, bowing humbly. "I shall inform the others."

"I will be sure to back you up, should you run into any problems when explaining these new restrictions," Master Splinter assured him.

Leo nodded his understanding, as he understood perfectly where their Father was coming from.

Back in the dojo, Marie still struggled to get out from under her brother in red. She had managed to come close to it, but no cigar yet - which was just intensifying her already immense anger. She paused momentarily to catch her breath, deciding to attempt a different tactic then. Maybe if she was still long enough, Raph would ease up and she could take him by surprise. Least that was what she was hoping, as she just had to teach him a lesson he so richly deserved for calling her weak, of all things!

Raphael snorted when he saw Marie was still for a long time, "Nice try, Runt, but I know what you're trying to pull. And it's not going to work."

"Oh, I HATE you!" screamed Marie, pounding her fists on the floor.

"Quit acting like you're five! It's annoying," said Raphael, nudging her with his foot. They sat there like that for a few more minutes.

"Hey, how about I let you up?" said Raphael, poking her with his finger, "And when I do, I know you're gonna come after me, so I'm not going to pull my punches. Then you can see that you just ain't strong enough yet."

Marie glared at him, ready to attack whenever he let her up. "Sure, whatever," she grumbled in reply.

Raphael moved off and Marie scrambled to her feet. She laid into Raphael who returned her attacks with greater force. It actually hurt when he hit her and he wasn't going easy on her. They took up the entire dojo as they battled; punches and kicks flying back and forth between them.

Marie leapt at Raphael but he caught her in the side with a punch and then a kick to the side of her head. The younger turtle landed on the mats and laid still.

Raphael stood still, his clenched fists held tightly to his side. Marie's shoulders shuddered and he heard quiet sobbing. He let out a sigh and bent down next to her. "Marie…"

"I'm sorry," she said in a stuttering cry.

Raphael rubbed her shoulder, "It'll be okay, Kid, I promise."

Marie let out a growl and pulled away from him, "No it won't. You have no idea, Raph."

"No, but I've been that angry before," he told her.

In the living room, Rembrandt had lost his first game of Twister to Rina.

"Redo, redo!" he cried as he fell on top of her as she giggled at him. "I don't have the balance like she does," he said as he crawled off of her.

Rina poked him in the shoulder, "Don't complain, it doesn't suit you."

Rembrandt grinned, "I'll complain if I wanna."

"No more Twister, I'm hungry," said Mikey, throwing the spinner down and heading into the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go read," Rina said, jumping up and racing down the hallway.

"But you haven't eaten in forever!" Mikey shouted, one hand on the doorway to the kitchen. He shook his head and looked back at Rembrandt who was following him. "Girls," he grumbled before entering the kitchen. "So, what do you want for lunch, Brandt?" he asked as the younger turtle went over to the fridge.

"I dunno, what can we have?" he asked, opening the fridge door. "Whatever you want…"

"Really?" Rembrandt said, his eye ridges shooting up in surprise, though he knew he ought to not be so surprised.

Mikey turned to eye the younger boy. "Brandt, anytime you're hungry, just grab whatever you'd like to eat - so long as nobody else's name is on it."

"Ah...." Rembrandt trailed off.

Mikey nodded, and opened the freezer. "See this?" He said, pulling an item out. "It's Rina's cookie dough - don't touch it, unless she says you can. And see this chocolate here, this is Marie's leftover birthday chocolate, don't touch or you'll lose a finger - maybe literally, who knows anymore with her."

Rembrandt nodded, as Mikey continued to show him the non-touchable items that were in the freezer. "Um....how about that - that pizza," Rembrandt suggested, picking up the frozen pizza.

"Good choice, my young friend," Mikey grinned. "Pizza is the one thing we all agree on - though, not quite on the toppings."

Rembrandt smiled as Michaelangelo showed him how to make the pizza they'd dug out.

Leonardo emerged from Master Splinter's study, deciding he'd best see what everyone else was up too and inform them on the new restrictions. After informing Mikey and Brandt, he headed towards Donatello's lab, wondering just what his brainiac brother was up to now.

"Hey, Donnie?" He began, as he entered the lab. "What're you up too?"

"Making some new trackers," Donatello replied. "Rembrandt needs one, and Marie as you know, needs a new one herself."

Leo smiled some, as he knew this was Donnie's way of trying to protect those he loved as best he could. He was a scientist, not a fighter - but he was a kind, caring scientist who wouldn't dare harm any species unless he'd truly no other choice.

"Sensei only wants us out on half hour patrols," Leo informed his brother in purple. "Until things have cooled down some."

"I doubt they will, Leo," Donnie said honestly. "For all we know, this is just going to increase attacks on us and anyone who knows us. I mean, they know there's more of us now; I doubt they'll stop at anything just to catch us."

Leo sighed, as his brother did have a very good point. "I don't know what to tell you, Donnie," he replied. "I mean, we've lived here all this time and they've never known. And now, all our lives are in danger. Heck, we may even have to move far enough away that they won’t find us. But who knows what they're capable of."

"Speaking of which, I want to scan Rembrandt later," Donnie cut in. "To ensure they haven't instilled a tracker of any sort in him."

Leo nodded. "Perfectly understandable."

Rina meanwhile was in her room, reading her book and enjoying the solitude. She was actually a bit glad Marie had thrown her tantrum, as this meant she had time to herself, until Raph got their hot-headed sister calmed once more. She sighed, as she re-read the same paragraph for the tenth time. She just couldn't concentrate on it. And every time she tried too, an image would flash before her eyes, and she'd have to take a moment to calm her nerves.

"Not this angry," Marie insisted, sniffling.

"Kid, I almost killed Mikey once," Raph told her. "So, yeah, I've been that angry. But I don't know all of what's going on in that hard head of yours. Wanna tell me, so I can keep yah in line a little better?"

"I'm not weak," Marie murmured after a moment's silence.

"Is that what the Hell all this is about?" Raph demanded. "'Cause that's just plain stupid, Marie. I just proved you ain't strong 'nough yet."

"But I am strong enough!" Marie argued. "I knocked that Bastard on his ass and I coulda killed him! I woulda too, if Rina hadn't been there to stop me!"

"Have you not remembered a damned thing Sensei taught us about valuing all life?" Raph retorted.

"What about what he did to our lives!" Marie cried. "He coulda killed Rina! And he wouldn't've cared one bit!"

"But he didn't," Raph reminded her. "We got there in time to save her."

"What if we hadn't've, Raph?" Marie snapped. "What if we'd been too late? I can't have him stealing my sister an' killing her off! I can't let him do that to any of you! I just can't!" She was half tempted to inform him of her plans to go back and actually kill the son of a bitch, but she remained silent about it.

Rina felt like the room was closing in on her. She had been having a sort of claustrophobia since the night before, but it was getting worse now. She put her book down and sprang up from the bed. She walked out of the room and down the hallway. Raphael and Marie were still in the dojo, Donnie was talking to Leo in his lab, Master Splinter was in his room, and Rembrandt and Mikey were talking in the kitchen. No one would notice if she stepped out of the lair for a little while. She just needed to be somewhere where no one was asking her questions or staring at her like she was going to break into a hundred pieces at any moment. And above all, she didn't want all these damn walls!

"It's not all on your shoulders, y'know," Raphael said, leaning back on his hands, "No one's asking you to take on the world just to protect this family. We're quite good at taking care of ourselves."

"I know, but I just can't stand the thought of him…" she mumbled, clenching and unclenching her fists repeatedly.

Raphael nodded, "Don't go doing anything stupid, you hear?"

"I hear," said Marie, her head lowered. She heard, but that didn't mean she was going to listen and agree.

Raphael stood up and stretched his arms. "Ah, well, I'm hungry," Raphael said, "I'm gonna go eat lunch. And you, you're gonna go take a shower. Ya stink."

Marie glared at him and shoved him in the shoulder. "I do not, and if I did, you stink worse! Gah, does your sweat have to smell like rotten eggs?" She demanded.

Raphael reached out to give her a noogie, but she had already jumped away and headed out of the dojo in the direction of the bathroom.

After her shower, Marie walked into the kitchen and salvaged a piece of pizza. There were odd toppings on top of it; Mikey had allowed Rembrandt to express his creativity. So there were chocolate chips and whipped cream and gumdrops on the pizza. It looked disgusting, but Marie sucked it up and ate it.

"Do you like it?" asked Rembrandt, looking hopefully at Marie.

She nodded, "Yeah, actually, it tastes like dessert pizza."

Rembrandt grinned brightly, "That's what everyone else said!"

Marie glanced at her brothers and noticed that they were all eating sandwiches. Obviously no one wanted pure sugar for lunch.

"Hey," Michelangelo said as an idea came to him, "What if we go out to April's country house for a few weeks? Just until this all blows over, and then we can come back!"

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, my son,” Master Splinter stated as he entered the kitchen then. He took a seat, and took a slice of pizza, to appease his new pupil. He too agreed it was like a dessert pizza, and that it would be a good treat to have on certain occasions.

“So we’re goin’ to the farm then?” Marie checked. She knew if this was true, she’d have to develop her plan to kill the bastard who’d harmed her family, even sooner than she’d wanted.

“Yes, I believe it would be best,” Master Splinter replied.

“I’ll give April a ring!” Mikey chirped excitedly, running for the phone. “When do we wanna go, Sensei?”

“The day after tomorrow, if it is alright with Ms. O’Neil,” Master Splinter answered, as he finished off the slice of pizza he had in his plate.

“What all should we bring, Sensei?” Leo wanted to know. “Other than our weapons, of course.”

“Whatever will keep you all occupied and relaxed,” Master Splinter said, as he stood to make himself a cup of tea. “I believe a vacation is in order, and a vacation is what we will have.”

“The farm house?” Rembrandt piped up then, wondering just what in the world they were all talking about.

“Yeah, it’s a few hours from here,” Raph stated. “Lots of space and sunshine, and great places to do some explorin’.”

“You’ll love it!” Marie exclaimed. “There’s so much to do out there! And it’s perfect for ninja games!”

Raph chuckled. “The Runt still loves a good game of hide ‘n’ seek.”

“And freeze tag!” Marie grinned. “And follow the leader! They’re fun! ‘Sides, they might help Brandt with his ninjitsu, an’ I bet he’s never played any of ‘em before.”

“Brandt, I think you’re gonna be her excuse from now on,” Raph smirked. “Anytime she wants to play a game, she’s gonna con yah into it, then demand the rest of us to play.”

“Well, it’s my job!” Marie reminded him, smiling.

“I think it’s high time for a new job,” Leo teased, smiling at the hot-tempered, yet hyperactive turtle girl.

Marie stuck her tongue out at her brother, quickly putting it back in her mouth when she noticed Master Splinter looking.

“Well, it’s all set!” Mikey grinned, as he re-entered the kitchen. “Ape said we can use it for as long as we like, long as we give her tomorrow to get some things in orders,” he informed everyone.

“Sweet!” Marie cried, jumping as she pumped a fist into the air excitedly. “I’ma go tell Rina!”

They all laughed, as she practically flew out of the room to go and inform her sister of the fantastic news! A few moments later, Marie returned with concern and worry etched in her eyes and facial expression.

“Rina’s gone!” She exclaimed.

"What?" asked Leo, whipping his head around to look at her so fast that his bandanna tails gave a nearly audible snap.

"She's gone!" Marie repeated, her eyes widening to stress her point.

"Where could she have gone, she was just here," Mikey said, looking over at Rembrandt.

The turtle in the grey bandanna shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno; I didn't hear her leave."

"She couldn't have gone far," Donatello said, standing up from his chair.

"Maybe she just went for a walk in the sewers," said Mikey, not wanting them all to go after her. She was probably feeling crowded and babied and she might completely lose it if they all followed her.

"But what if someone got her again?!" shouted Marie, whirling on her heel and heading towards the door. Raphael gave a sharp whistle and she turned around to glare at him, "Do I look like a dog to you?"

"Naw, but it worked, didn't it?" he said, "Let someone else go after her."

"But she's my sister…" said Marie, going a bit on the possessive side.

"No kidding, but she's also ours," put in Leo as he stood up as well. "I'll go talk to her," he said, walking past Marie and heading out the door.

"Hey, Leo!" Mikey said, running up to him and catching him by the shoulder, "Lemme do it this time, please?" He made his blue eyes wide and gave Leo the unfailing puppy eyes. "I wanna play the big brother role."

Leo stared at him for a moment and then nodded. Perhaps Mikey could reach Rina where he couldn't. "Okay, Mikey," he said and Mikey gave him a grateful smile.

"Thanks, bro, I won't let you down." He grabbed a fedora off the shelf and headed out the door.

Marie scowled at Raphael, "I could've gone after her. I can handle her moods."

"Yeah, I'm sure she really wants to talk to you," said Raphael, rolling his eyes.

Marie glared at him and stomped out of the kitchen. She went to her and Rina's room and flopped down on her bed. She didn't know if she wanted to do her plan after they went to the farm house or not. She was frustrated. If she waited until after they got back, her plan might be better. But if she did wait, they might move the lab and then what was she supposed to do? Find it all over again? Gaaahhh… At least she could start planning now and decide later. She pulled a piece of paper out of the drawer and started to write down ideas. She would go in at night of course…and head straight for that guy, wherever he was in the building. It'd be nice if she knew where that was…but oh well! It didn't matter.

Against her own better judgment, Rina had left the sewers and taken to Topside. A climb up the fire escape ladder got her to the rooftop of the abandoned business closest to the manhole they used. She was exasperated with her family, she was exhausted from not sleeping much last night, she hadn't eaten in a while, and she was afraid. She had no idea why she was still afraid, it didn't make any sense. Her family was there now and she was back home. There was no need to feel paranoid. She sighed and put her forehead into her hands.

"Hey, Rina, I'm comin' up!" she heard Mikey call from down on the ground.

She rolled her eyes and leaned over the side, "Mikey! What the heck?"

"I thought you could use some company," he replied, climbing up the ladder.

"Ughhh," Rina sighed, "Fine, whatever."

He was up beside her in a second and he gave her grin, "Nice night, huh?"

"Suppose so," Rina said, glancing up at the sky. It was its regular hazy grey, their glorious New York sky. "What do you want, Mikey?" Rina finally asked after he was silent for a while.

"Nothin', just wanted to look at the sky," he replied.

"Yeah, uh-huh," she replied, putting her head back against her knees.

"Hey, would you have preferred someone else?" Mikey asked, his eye ridges raised. "You almost had Marie, then Leo up here."

Rina groaned, not bothering to lift her head from her lap. "Figures," she muttered.

"They're just worried, is all," Mikey assured her. "We were all pretty scared last night, and now we're just overly relieved."

"I just wish people would give me space!" Rina growled softly. "Everyone keeps smothering me - I'm becoming claustrophobic, Mikey. It feels like everything's closing in on me, and I don't like it one bit!"

"I don't know what I can do about that, Kiddo," Mikey told her. "But I'll do my best to make everybody leave yah be, 'till you suggest otherwise. And maybe it'll help that we're gonna be going out to the farm for awhile."

"Really?" Rina said, glancing up at him hopefully.

"Really," Mikey nodded, smiling some. "We leave day after tomorrow. April needs a day to get some things ready and stuff."

Rina looked overly grateful and relieved all at once. "Thank-you," she breathed softly.

Mikey gave her a warm, brotherly hug. "No problem, Kiddo," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I figured we could all use a break, and the farm house is the best way to stay hidden."

"Isn't that considered running?" Rina asked.

"Nah," Mikey shook his head, arms still wrapped around her gently. "It's considered protecting the family, and going on a well-deserved vacation."

Rina pulled away some - it wasn't that she wasn't enjoying the hug, but she was starting to feel smothered again.

Mikey smiled at her, ruffling her hair. "Be sure to tell Leo I did a good job of playin' big brother," he joked. "I bet he'd be shocked."

"He shouldn't be," Rina replied softly, giving him a small smile. "You're always a good big brother - you know when to give me space."

Mikey beamed at that, feeling extremely glad that he seemed to have helped somewhat.

Meanwhile, Marie was still writing and plotting out her revenge on her pad of paper. "Maybe I should go tomorrow night.......or tonight......" She pondered aloud, glad no one was nearby. "If I wait until after the farm trip, they'll remember we exist and may come after us an' then everybody will know I went back......" She sighed heavily, biting her lip. "I better make sure my sai and manikiri are clean, if I'ma do this before we leave......." She refused to acknowledge the part of her brain that was telling her this was a foolish idea.

"I hope Mikey knows what he's doin'," Raph commented a while later, as the ones that had been left in the kitchen, all gathered in the den to watch television. "Don't need him makin' things worse."

"I'm sure he is doing fine, my son," Master Splinter assured. "She is like him in many ways."

"Yeah, her and Mikey have always been pretty close," Donnie smiled. "Especially when they get in baking mode."

Raph snorted. "More like experimenting mode," he stated.

Rembrandt looked a bit confused. "Is their food really that bad?"

"No, they're pretty good at it, and make most the main meals," Leo smiled. "Raph's just being his sarcastic self."

"Oh," Rembrandt nodded, understanding somewhat. "Guess I better get used to that?"

"Definitely," Donnie nodded, plopping down on the one chair, as Leo popped a movie in.

Rina and Mikey came back in, Rina not looking at the others as she walked over and sat down on the couch beside Rembrandt. The look on her face dared anyone to ask her if she was okay. Thankfully, they all stayed quiet and didn't even comment about it. She sighed and curled up next to Rembrandt, answering all the new turtle's questions about the show on the TV. Even though she wouldn't admit it, the images were less intense when she was around her family.

Meanwhile, Marie had made up her mind. She was going to go tonight, as soon as she got the chance. She placed her manikiri in her belt and stuck her sai in their holsters. It wouldn't be long until her brothers headed out on patrol…all she had to do was make sure that Sensei, Rina, and Rembrandt were occupied. She had a good idea about how to go about that…

After about an hour, Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey went out on their shortened patrol. They left with instructions from Master Splinter to stay safe and cautious, and they made sure to tell the younger mutants not to leave the lair under any circumstances. They all replied with reassurances. When the guys had been gone for about ten minutes, Marie took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Rina," she said, getting her sister's attention.

The turtle in blue and white had been sketching in a white and black composition book. She raised her head to look at Marie, "Hmm?"

"You know what I think about what happened to you last night?" she asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Marie, you know I don't wanna…" she started but Marie cut her off.

"No, you don't, you little wuss! You can't keep cutting me off, you wanna know why? Because you're not loud enough to!" she shouted, standing up from her chair.

Rina narrowed her eyes, "What?"

"You're not deaf, you heard me," growled Marie, "You could have stopped them last night! It's your own damn fault you got snatched, you know that?" She was closing in on Rina who was glaring and obviously didn't like how close she was or how angry she was acting.

"With all your Speedy Gonzalez agility, you should've been able to move out of the way. And Donnie had to freakin' protect you before that! And why'd you have to push me, you got a Leo-complex or something? You're as much to blame for your capture as anyone else, Rina, so stop playing the victim and shutting us out!" She could see Rina crumbling, and she felt that her plan was back-firing. Rina was supposed to get mad, not…sad.

"Yeah, so don't blame me!" Marie said, shoving her sister in the shoulder. That got a reaction.

Rina snapped her hand out and grabbed Marie's wrist, "Don't touch me."

"What're you gonna do, Rina?" asked Marie, poking her with the other hand.

"Back OFF!" shouted Rina, stepping away from Marie.

"Go on, freak out; no one cares!" Marie yelled, shoving her again.

Rina let out an angry shout and nearly punched Marie in the face. She pulled her punch right before she made contact and then rushed past Marie.

Rembrandt looked at Marie, his eyes questioning. Oh great, he was going to think she was insane. It had hurt her a lot, but at least she knew her sister would stay in the dojo for a good while, working off her steam with her bow and arrows. Maybe Rembrandt would try to talk to her. Oh well. Marie had to do this, it was her revenge. She needed it. Sighing, she pushed the door open and headed out into the sewers.

About thirty minutes later, Raphael stepped into the dojo to find Rina and Rembrandt in the dojo. Rina was wearing the hitting mitts while Rembrandt was taking shots at them. She was good at blocking them, especially since he was so slow compared to the others. He smirked as he decided to test her. Running into the room, he aimed a punch at her plastron. She saw him coming and flung the mitt up to block him. He smiled as his fist connected with the soft material of the mitt.

"That was a good one, Rina," he said as she stepped away. She nodded, not really giving him a smile. He looked over to Rembrandt, "What's with her?"

"I'm right here," grumbled Rina, crossing her arms over her plastron.

"Marie made her mad," Rembrandt replied.

"Mad is NOT the word," Rina snapped, trying to pull the mitts off her hands. Raphael yanked one off for her and she pulled off the other one, "FURIOUS is better. Wrathful even tops that!"

"Yeah, sounds like a Marie move," said Raphael, "Have you guys seen her, anyways?"

"No," replied Rembrandt, "Not since we came in here."

Raphael frowned upon hearing that, as he knew under the circumstances she'd want to be near her sister - no matter if they were fighting or not. "Alright," he said finally. "I'ma go find her an' give her a talking too."

"Thanks, Raph," Rina sighed, licking her lips some as she tried to shake off what her sister had said to her - she was still in disbelief, not wanting to believe her sister could be so cruel.

Raph gave them a curt nod, then left the dojo to go give Marie a good swift kick in the rear end for infuriating Rina as much as she had. Nobody infuriated Rina without him kicking their shells for it! No one!

"He's just going to talk to her, right?" Rembrandt asked, still unsure of the Raphael/Marie relationship.

Rina shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. He usually kicks her rear end though, and she always deserves it for being such a brat!"

"Ooh-ka-ay," Rembrandt said, sounding unsure.

"C'mon. I'll show yah some kicks now," Rina told him. "Then you can surprise Leo with 'em, the next time we practice."

Rembrandt looked excited suddenly. "Really? I'm going to learn how to do all those cool kicks?"

"Well....the simple ones right now," Rina replied. "The cooler stuff takes time....I just learned this one myself." She then did her spinning high kick, being careful not to topple over.

"Wow!" Rembrandt grinned. "That was Awesome!"

Rina blushed slightly. "Well, it's harder than it looks," she smiled a bit. "Believe me."

Rembrandt just kept grinning. "Well, c'mon! Show me the easy ones!"

Rina gave a soft laugh, glad he was there and able to cheer her up somewhat. "Okay, okay. Hold your horses," she said, getting into position once more.

"Horses?" Rembrandt repeated.

"I'll explain later," Rina promised. "Now, get into position."

Rembrandt nodded, and did as asked, watching intently as Rina did a simple front kick.

Marie in the mean time was just nearing the building they'd rescued Rina from the night before. She paused momentarily to work her plan out in her head once more, before advancing to the building's rooftop, and peering down into the skylight to observe what was going on. She was going to find that man, and make sure he was no longer a threat to her family.

Meanwhile, Raphael had searched the entire lair, unable to find Marie anywhere. "Hey, Donnie?" He called out, as he entered the living room.

"Yeah?" Donnie answered, coming from behind him, as he'd been in the bathroom.

"You ever get to sticking that tracker on Marie?"

"No....why?" Donnie asked.

"She ain't here," Raph replied. "I've looked everywhere - she's not in the lair."

Donnie frowned, then suddenly remembered something. "I placed a tracker on her sai the other night, after she crushed the one on her belt. It’s so tiny, she'll never spot it."

"Well, get to checkin' it!" Raph snapped somewhat. "I'ma go check her room again, to see if she left a note or anythin'."

Donnie nodded, and quickly headed to his lab to see if the tracker was still working. Moments later, Donnie and Raph met up in the den once more.

"You'll never believe where she is," Donnie began, only to be cut off by Raph.

"Oh, I will," he growled, holding up the notes Marie had made while plotting her revenge. "LEO! MIKEY! GET IN HERE!"

After looking into the skylight, Marie climbed down the side of the building. She found a window that led into an empty office building. Pulling her manikiri out of her belt, she started swinging it around to get velocity. When she was satisfied with the speed, she let loose and the metal ball flew into the window, shattering it. She slipped into the room, wondering if that had actually been a good idea. Well, hopefully they didn't have a sensitive intruder system. She was careful as she stepped around the tiny sliver of glass. She didn't want any of that stuck in her foot. She was certain that the man she was looking for would be in the middle of the building and underground. That had been where they had found Rina and that was what she remembered. She had only been a toddler, not any older than three, but she still had a somewhat hazy memory of the outlay of the building.
She let her feet take her down the hallway. Any camera she saw, she took out with her shuriken, a quick shot through the lens. Of course, by now someone would know there was an intruder in the place. She let out a hiss as she heard someone walking down the hallway. She didn't want to deal with anyone besides that guy. Scowling, she moved back into a hallway and stayed quiet. Luckily, the guy must have been an idiot because he didn't see her in the shadows. Marie let out her breath and hurried on down the hallway. She carried on for a while longer, slipping into hallways and doorways when she heard people coming. She once had to knock someone unconscious because they spotted her, but that was about it. When she got to the level where the lab was, she pulled her sai out of their holders. Now she was going to find him and make sure he never came after her family again!

Leonardo and Mikey walked into the den.

"What?" asked Mikey, looking from Raphael to Donatello. He wasn't sure who looked more upset.

"Look at these!" Raphael shouted, shoving the notes into Leo's hands.

The oldest turtle glanced them over and then snapped his head up, "Where is she?!"

"There," Donnie said, shaking his head as if he couldn't imagine it.

"Wait, where?!" asked Mikey, his eyes widening as he tried to look over Leo's shoulder to see the papers.

"We have to go get her," Leonardo said, staring at Raphael.

The turtle in red rolled his eyes, "Naw, we'll just leave her there. Idiot." He made a fist and punched his hand into the wall. What was wrong with Marie!? "What'd she do, sell her brains for stupidity?" he snarled, pummeling the other fist into the wall.

"Wait, huh?" Mikey asked, still not knowing what they were talking about.

"The wall didn't do anything to you," Donatello said calmly. He knew that Raphael taking out his frustration on the wall wasn't going to help anything.

Meanwhile, Catarina and Rembrandt found their way into the living room, unable to stay in the dojo after a yell like that. Rina glanced from Raphael to Leonardo and put her hands on her hips,

"What'd Marie do this time?"

"She's at the lab?!" Michelangelo shouted as he snatched one of the notes from Leo's hands and saw what was written and sketched all over it.

Rina's mouth dropped open in shock, mirroring Mikey's own reaction. "What the hell?!" she screeched, ogling at her oldest brother, "Are you serious? You better be joking, I swear…"

"He's not," growled Raphael, throwing another punch at the wall, "ARGH! When I catch her, I swear, I'm gonna…GRAH!"

Rina looked to Donnie who solemnly nodded. "Well, aren't we going after her?" Rina asked.

"You two are definitely staying here," Leo said, pointing at Rembrandt and Rina. Before Rina could protest, he held up a hand, "Look, you're in no condition to go anywhere, especially there. And, Brandt, no offense, but you don't know enough about stealth or fighting to go on this mission. I want you both to stay here with Master Splinter."

"But Leo!" Rina cried, unable to believe that he was going to hold her back.

"That's final," Leo said, giving both of the younger ones a stern look.

Rina threw up her hands as Master Splinter walked into the room.

"What is all this noise about?" asked Master Splinter. All of them began speaking at the same time:

"Sensei! Marie's insane!"

"Leo won't let me go!"

"Whoa, dude, Sensei! Guess what!"

"Marie, that little idiot…grrr…"

"Marie's gone, Master Splinter, she's headed back to get revenge."

"I don't really get it…"

Master Splinter narrowed his eyes and held up a hand. "Silence!" They all went quiet though Leo and Rina were glaring at each other. "Would someone care to tell me what is going on?" he asked, looking at his children.

"Sensei, Marie's gone back to the lab in order to maim, possibly kill, the man that kept popping up in her nightmares when she was sick," said Donnie, holding out his portable scanner for Master Splinter to see.

Master Splinter glanced at the device and then looked up expectantly at Donatello.

"Oh, um, she's the yellow dot. We're the purple one," explained Donnie.

Master Splinter sighed and put a hand to his head. His headstrong daughter had gone off on yet another foolhardy adventure. "Please, my sons, find her soon. Bring her home," he said and all four boys bowed to him and then headed for the door.

"Leo!" Rina shouted furiously.

"No, Rina, stay here!" he replied, giving her a look that definitely said that she wasn't to follow.

"Rina, please, just stay here," Donnie said as he went out the door.

"Promise?" Mikey asked and she hesitated before giving a grudging nod. "Good."

Raphael pointed a sai at the two younger ones, "You follow us, and I swear I'll give ya both such a beatin' yer ancestors'll feel it!" He didn't feel like losing anymore younger siblings tonight.

"We won't!" said Rembrandt, nodding his head.

Rina flopped backwards onto the couch, "Go, would you?!" He closed the door behind himself.

Marie was heading down the hallway when she was spotted by a group of thugs.

"There…only one?" a short guy asked, looking up at the guy who was leading them.

The guy shrugged his shoulders, "Guess it's a stupid one."

The other two chuckled before walking towards the young turtle.

Marie saw them coming and took up a fighting stance, "C'mon, you big lugs, I take you down then I can get to the big guy. C'mon!" She slashed her sai together and nodded towards them.

The short guy looked up at the bigger one who nodded. He pulled out a dart gun and leveled it at Marie. "What makes you think we'll waste our energy on a punkette like you?" he asked as she stared at the gun.

Well, that hadn't figured into her planning. Maybe she should leave that sorta stuff up to Leo and Rina…

"Don't you insult me!" Marie shouted, waving her sai at him, "I've had it up to here with insults from you people."

"And I've had it up to here with mutant turtles!" yelled the man.

"Shoot her," said the guy beside him. He nodded and the gun went off.

Marie dodged the first one, but the second caught her in the forearm. She let out a shout and tried to pluck it out. Pure anger drove her forward and she tossed a sai at the lead man. It hit him in the shoulder and he shouted in pain. Another dart pierced her shoulder and she stumbled to the ground. No, NO! She wasn't there yet! It couldn't end like that! Darkness overtook her vision and she was down for the count.

After the guys had been gone for a while, Rina tossed a look over at Master Splinter's study. He had retreated to there once the boys had left, probably to meditate on Marie and give her and their brothers strength. She was certain that he wouldn't be out for a while.

"C'mon, Brandt, let's go," she said, jumping up from the couch.

The turtle in grey glanced around but followed her anyways, "Where are we going exactly?"

"To go help the guys," she said, opening the door as quietly as possible.

Rembrandt raised an eyebrow, "But you told Leonardo that you wouldn't…"

"Hmm, I said we wouldn't follow them. We won't, we'll go a different way," she said as she led him down the hallway to the garage.

"Sounds like a plan," he said with a smirk.

The Battle Shell was gone, of course, but they had neglected to take the Shell Cycles. Rina found Mikey's and climbed on.

"Something tells me they won't like this idea all that much…" said Rembrandt.

Rina grinned as she handed him the orange helmet and grabbed her own. "Yeah, but they'll appreciate the help, especially if we only help if needed," said Rina before jamming the helmet down on her head.

Rembrandt followed her example, "Okay…"

"Hold on, Brandt!" she shouted before revving the engine and shooting forward out of the garage.

The turtle in grey barely had enough time to reach out and grab Rina's waist.

Marie woke up in a small room, shackles on her wrists and ankles. Her eyes were fuzzy, but she could make out the room. It was mostly a light grey, but one whole side was that double-sided mirror-window stuff. She glared into it and after a while she could make out the shape of a man on the other side. It was him! She let out a shout of anger and rustled her chains in aggravation.

"Let me out!" she said groggily, trying to stand to her feet. Her manikiri, shuriken, and sai were gone. Her sai! Raph's old sai… "Dammit! I hate you, let me go, I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!!" she screamed, slamming her chained wrists against the floor. She was too tired to get up and hit the window. However, her lungs were working just fine. "YOU BASTARD!!"

"Hmm, this one is overly aggressive," Dr. Martin said as he leaned over to his colleague.

"The lab just called, they said that T29's tracker is returning here," a female doctor said as she hung up the phone. She looked into the room at the young turtle that was having a justified tantrum.

"Perhaps sedatives are in order," Dr. Martin said offhandedly.

The woman pursed her lips and shook her head. "She should still be feeling the effects of the tranquilizer, Doctor. I'm certain we don't need to give her any more," she said.

He smirked, "It couldn't hurt."

The female doctor, Ann Kelly, shook her head, "We could accidentally overdose her."

"No great loss, there's two of them, remember?" he said as he stood up from his chair.

"Sir, what are you planning to do with this one?" the female doctor asked. She had been excited to get a female last night, and this one was an entirely different one. She wanted to study it as well, but Dr. Martin had claimed it as his. He rubbed his chin, one hand on the door.

"We'll get the other one soon enough and she can act as the mother to the next generation. This one…well, I want to study it. We don't necessarily need it alive," he said, leaning against the doorway, "Especially since its offspring would probably be insubordinate."

Dr. Kelly bit her bottom lip, "But sir, if we use her genes as well, then we can create a greater DNA base than what we have now."

Dr. Martin nodded, "I've already thought about that. We can harvest her eggs and then implant them in T36 or human females, like we did to make the last batch. But, as I said, her offspring would be useless except for experimentation."

Dr. Kelly sighed; oh well, Dr. Martin seemed determined to have his way with this one. Before he stepped out of the door, he turned back to look at Dr. Kelly, "Oh, and have the teams on a look out for the four adult males we saw. I want them also. Have the tranquilizers ready and prepared."

Meanwhile, Donatello was once more hurrying the Battle Shell back to where they had just been the previous night rescuing their other sister. He couldn't believe just how crazy Marie was, to think she could out-smart all these scientists on her own. She'd obviously not been thinking clearly at all!

"We're here," he said for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.

"We stick together and watch each other's backs," Leonardo instructed, as they all climbed out.

"She's near where Rina was last night," Donnie stated, eyeing his tracker, not realizing that Rina’s blimp was now on the move also. "We better hurry, because if they sedated her and she woke up......Well, it won't be good - especially with her temper."

Raphael growled, as him and Michaelangelo hurried on after their brothers, to once more go and rescue one of their sisters.

"YOU LET ME OUTTA HERE!" Marie screeched, as the evil scientist entered the room. "YOU NO GOOD, HONOR-LESS COWARDLY SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Well, well, well, T35," the scientist chuckled. "It seems we meet again - though, I don't remember you being this feisty."

"Things change, dumbass!" Marie growled, struggling angrily with her restraints.

"Yes, that they do," the man smirked, checking some machines to ensure his evil plans would work. "I have decided not to impregnate you, but to dissect you and torture you instead."

"Well, there's a relief," Marie muttered sarcastically. She yelped, as he turned quickly and hit her thighs with the whip he now brandished - he had brought it into the room with him, only she hadn't seen it. He continued to whip her legs, eventually growing displeased as she remained silent after the first strike.

Marie grit her teeth together as best she could, trying to ignore the pain she was feeling. "Raph...." She pleaded silently. "I'm sorry......"

"Sir, T29 has arrived," a woman spoke, entering the room briefly, trying not to show that she disagreed with what he was doing to the young turtle girl.

"We're here!" Rina exclaimed, quickly parking the shell cycle in the back on the Battle Shell, as she knew how to open it with ease and drive on in - she had been getting secret lessons from Raph, after all. "Let's go see if we can help!"

Rembrandt nodded, and quickly hopped off the bike and followed her as quickly and stealthily as he could - considering her knew not a thing of stealth, except for what he had seen his new family do.

"Good," replied Dr. Martin, curling the whip up around his arm. “If he's here, I suppose the rest of your little clan has shown up as well. No matter how quiet they are or how well-prepared, they won't be able to evade my tranquilizers." He bent down and grabbed Marie's chin, forcing her to look at him. "I want you to know that it's your fault they are here," he said, glaring down at her, "If I'm honor-less, you are nearly as bad. You have betrayed those pathetic mutants that you call a family. I doubt they'll thank you for that."

She hauled back and spat in his face. His anger flared for a minute then he wiped the spit from his face. "You asshole, get away from me. Don't you ever talk about my family, don't you dare touch them!" she snarled, leaning in close and threateningly.

"Hmm, interesting reaction. I'll have to record that," Dr. Martin said, brushing his fingernails off on the lapel of his lab coat. He walked out of the room and shut the sound-proof door while Marie raged on behind him.

He turned to Dr. Kelly while laying the whip down on the table. "Please, find the rest of them before they overrun the place. If T36, the little one with the blue and white bandanna is with T29, separate them and take the female back to the lab. There's a few more fertility and blood tests I want to run on her before impregnating her. We didn't get to finish last time." He rolled his eyes. Intrusions such as rescue missions hadn't been on his mind when he discontinued the testing. "They're just to make sure her body can withstand it. Otherwise, we may have to keep T35 around for a little longer, though the idea does displease me."

Dr. Kelly nodded and then looked out of the side of her eyes at Dr. Martin, "Sir? Can I oversee the relationship between T29 and T36? I'm interested in the interactions that may occur between the two; we may possibly not have to impregnate T36 with in vitro if they grow fond of each other."

Dr. Martin nodded before turning back to look at Marie, a small smile on his face, "Sure, that can be your little project. This one is mine."

Dr. Kelly nodded and looked with an expression that could have almost been pity at Marie.

In her cell, Marie scowled and rubbed her shackles against the wall. Argh, they were too small it'd be impossible to slip out of them! She sighed and looked down at the huge red and pink welts on her green legs. They ached and she bit her lip against the pain. Man, wasn't he a scientist? Couldn't he come up with something better than a freaking whip? Loser. She looked up at the ceiling of the cell and blinked as tears sprang to her eyes. Oh man…her family was coming to get her. They were all going to get captured and then Sensei was going to worry about them and what would Casey and April do?! She wanted to see her brothers and her sister but she certainly didn't want them captured! Why did she have to go and pull this stunt? Argh, when she got the chance, she was going to kill that doctor. He would never bother them again! EVER!

Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and Raph were making their way down the hallways. So far, they had only run into regular workers. A couple pressure point hits and they were no longer being bothered.

"Where're all the big guys?" asked Raphael, clashing his sai together.

"Hopefully really far away!" replied Mikey with a grin.

Leo rolled his eyes from the front of the group. "They're probably deeper in the catacombs of this place," he said, stepping forward.

"That'd make since," Mikey said, his nunchucks in his hand and ready to use. "Still, I thought we'd see a couple by now, ‘specially since you can see where Marie's already been," he said, pointing at a broken camera.

"Hey, at least that's a relatively smart move," Donnie said.

"First smart thing she's done tonight," said Leo with a grunt.

"She's just a kid, Leo," Mikey said, trying to quell his brother's anger.

"I don't think any of us would do something this stupid at her age! She's fifteen, Mikey," he snapped, clutching his katana.

"I think I would've so, lay off, Leo," Raphael said, tossing his brother a frown.

"Yeah, let's not even get into that right now," Leo said, shaking his head.

Raphael growled but didn't take the bait. Getting Marie back was more important than fighting with Leo…wow; he really DID like the kid!

They eventually ended up outside of the place where Donnie said Marie's sai were. It was a simple locked door and Leo stabbed it through with a katana. Raphael shoved the door open only to hear a soft thwwipp! He saw something brush by his head and then he heard Mikey cry out.

"Dang!" shouted his youngest brother as he grabbed at his shoulder.

"Mikey!" Donnie shouted, grabbing for his brother.

"Shit!" Raphael yelled as he brandished his sai and moved back. There was another thwwipp and another but these didn't hit anyone.

Meanwhile, Mikey was stumbling, leaning heavily against Donatello. Leonardo pulled a single katana from its sheath and slipped it through the air. Raphael was amazed to see it slice through one of the darts. Two more thwwipps and Leo was standing there with two fuzzy darts sticking out of his skin.

Raphael let out a roar of rage and attacked the men who were hunkered down in the room. His sai embedded in their fleshy, unarmored bodies while darts hit him. He heard a feminine scream, "Raphael!" His foggy mind registered Rina's voice…damn! Wasn't she supposed to be at the lair?!
Men were swarming into the area out of the hallways, some running down the corridor they had just come from.

Darts were sticking in Donnie's bo as he tried to protect his brothers. Just then an arrow flew past him and buried in a man's chest. A look of horror took over his face as he turned and found Rina and Rembrandt running down a hallway towards them.

"Go back!" he shouted but Rina had already seen Mikey and Leonardo and her expression had contorted with remorse. She spotted Raphael as darts became imbedded in his skin and she screamed his name. Growling, she drew another arrow from her quiver. She wouldn't let them take her family without a fight! She handed Rembrandt her kaiken quickly, "Just slash people."

"Got it," he said, nodding.

"Go home, now!" Donatello said as she brandished her weapon.

"Kinda late for that, Donnie!" Rina exclaimed, shooting another arrow at one of the men currently brandishing a tranquilizer gun.

Donnie kept his eyes glued to the darts that were making their way towards him, trying to ensure he didn't dare get hit with any. "Just once, I wish you girls would listen to us, and do as told!" He snapped somewhat, not happy at all with either of his sisters right then.

"If we get outta this," Rina began, dodging a dart. "I swear I'll listen!"

Donnie glanced over at her briefly, a huge mistake on his part, as a dart imbedded itself into his shoulder. "Dammit!" He cursed, as he reached to yank it out, just like Marie had done earlier, unknown to them. "Rina! Get outta here!" He cried, as he was hit with two more, causing him to sway, then fall face first to the floor - his bo clattering as it hit the tiled floor.

"Donnie!" Rina gasped, feeling scared and angry all at once. They'd taken her brothers down! No one had ever done that before! Maybe one or two of them would be caught or taken down, but never in her fifteen years of life, had all four fallen right before her eyes.

"Brandt! Fight for all yer worth!" Rina shrieked, hoping she wouldn't run out of arrows anytime soon.

Rembrandt narrowed his eyes, actually feeling the fear and panic coming from Rina's very soul. He growled and charged the ones who had kept him in their grasp his whole life. The turtles were his family now, and he was not about to let them all end up like he had! No way Dude! Rina kept shooting her arrows, as she saw Rembrandt slash people with her kaiken. She was slightly relieved to see he at least knew how to hold it and slash away at people - though, her relief was short lived as he too was struck with a dart and went crashing down.

"NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rina wailed, as she shot her last arrow, then quickly began throwing shuriken at the evil foes.

Soon enough, she ran out of those as well, and ended up brandishing her bow, as a staff in order to keep fighting. She cried out as she was finally hit with a tranquilizer, immediately reaching over and switching on Donnie's Shell Cell, in hopes that Master Splinter or April would have one, and realize something was terribly wrong.

Back in the lair, Master Splinter had returned to the living room, only to find both Catarina and Rembrandt not there, causing him to frown. He reached out with his senses, to see if they were at least still in the lair. He sighed heavily, when he realized that they were not. It was then he heard the shrill distress signal coming from a Shell Cell that had been left on the coffee table. He swiftly hurried over to it, snatching it up and flipping it open. He hit a few buttons, and soon enough had April on the other line.

"Splinter?" April said, looking and sounding surprised as she realized just who had called her. "What's wrong?"

"Ms. O'Neil, I believe my family is in grave danger, and that we will need to act immediately!" Master Splinter informed their human friend. "Please find Mr. Jones, and alert him to our plight as well, as I know that he will indeed want to help."

"We'll be there soon as we can!" April assured the aging mutant rat, quickly clicking her Shell Cell off, and running to the bathroom and pounding on the door. "Casey! Hurry up! The turtles are in trouble!" She cried, running about like a chicken with its head cut off, as she began grabbing things she figured she'd need for this mission.

"What?" Casey said, looking and sounding confused as he came out of the bathroom. "The guys are in trouble?"

"And the girls," April put in. "Splinter said 'family', not boys - so it has to be all of them!"

"I wonder what they've gone and done now," Casey said, shaking his head as he grabbed up his mask and weapons. "Well, let's go!"

The two of them hurried on out to Casey's motorbike, and after making sure their things were secure, roared off towards the lair at top speed.

Marie glared dangerously, as the evil doctor, whose name she had yet to catch, re-entered the room once more. This time, he was smiling wide - though the smile was pure evil.

"It seems, we have managed to catch your foolish family," he informed her. "I will now have the opportunity, to study them all."

"Pfft. I highly doubt you c'n catch 'em," Marie scoffed. "They're the most skilled fighters out there, stupid."

"Oh, really?" The man replied. "Then pray tell, who are they?"

He held up a hand-held computer, showing her images of each of her siblings, who were currently either locked up in a cell, or tied down on an operating table.

"I think I shall only keep two of the older males," he continued. "Seeing as I don't need all of them alive for my studies. Though, I have yet to decide which two will be the ones to survive. Maybe you can decide for me?"

Marie paled as she saw that he had indeed captured her entire family - all, but one who still remained back at the lair, probably growing immensely worried as they had all yet to return.

Dr. Martin grinned, as he zoomed in on each turtle he had managed to capture with the help of his henchmen. "Who shall live, T35," he repeated. "And who shall die? It is up to you to decide."

He watched her reaction closely, as he kept flipping through all the images that were now on his portable hand-held computer. He smirked as he noticed that other than being highly concerned about T-36, she seemed extremely concerned about the red-masked male turtle he had managed to now have in a holding cell.

"Well, I think that this one shall be the first to go," he stated, holding Raphael's image up to the mutant turtle girl's face.

Marie was immediately enraged. "YOU F*CKING TOUCH HIM AND I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU!!!!!!!!!" She screamed, struggling against her restraints like crazy, in a desperate attempt to reach out and throttle the bastard of a man that stood before her.

Dr. Martin gave a cynical laugh. "And I believe I shall let you watch his dissection."

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Marie cried, as unwanted, hot, angry tears formed in her eyes.

In another part of the laboratory, Rina stirred some, groaning as she realized she was back in the same lab room she'd been stuck in the previous night before tossed into a cell with Rembrandt. Speaking of Rembrandt, where was he!?!?

"Ohh....." She moaned, blinking her eyes rapidly.

"She's awakening!" A woman observed. "Now what?"

"Leave her be, Dr. Kelly stated firmly. "These current tests will not harm her."

The other woman nodded, obeying orders, as she continued on with what she was doing.

"DONNIE!" Rina suddenly yelled, trying to bolt upwards, only the restraints held her down. She growled somewhat, as she was slowly remembering just what had gone on. "Ohhh......we're in trouble."

"The others may be," Dr. Kelly said, having had heard the mutant speak. "But for now, you are not."

"Don't hurt them!" Rina cried, still a bit groggy from the evil tranquilizers. "Please!"

At the lair, Master Splinter and Casey were watching April manipulate Donatello's computer.

"Darnn Donnie and all his stupid passwords, they're all different!" snapped April as her fingers flew across the key board.

"Hey, can you hurry it up, babe?" asked Casey, trying to resist the urge to touch the stuff in Donnie's lab.

April shot him such a glare that Master Splinter decided that he and Casey should retire to the den. They walked in their and Splinter almost regretted the decision. Since he was no longer around April, who naturally calmed him, he was furious. And he took it out on the closest thing…which happened to be the furniture.

"I can't believe they've gone and got themselves caught!" he roared, kicking the couch. He ripped up a pillow while Master Splinter watched. Somehow destroying things always made Casey feel better and it always seemed to happen when he was angry.

"Mr. Jones, please, let my furniture alone," he said, looking at Casey with half-lidded eyes. Casey gave a timid smile and dropped the half-ripped pillow.

"Sorry, Master Splinter, I just…can't control my temper sometimes."

Master Splinter nodded, "Raphael has that same trait. Perhaps that is why you are such good friends."

"But how can I be a good friend if I can't help him?!" Casey shouted, kicking the wall.

Master Splinter sighed as the young human man stomped around the den. If only he could keep his head at such times…

"You can help me and Ms. O'Neal to rescue my family," Master Splinter said, leaning on the head of his cane.

"But how can we do that if we don't even know where they are?" Casey demanded angrily.

"I know where they are!" April shouted as she rushed into the room, waving the papers over her head. "They're at the McCormick Labs downtown! It's an experimental disease control center."

Casey ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her while kissing her on the lips. "And that's why you're my babe!" he cried excitedly.

April frowned, "I'm not a babe…"

Dr. Martin had a gag thrust into Marie's mouth, silencing the young turtle as she continued to scream. One of his genetically enhanced henchmen came and threw the young turtle over his shoulder.

"Take her to the viewing room above O.R. four. Tie her into the chair and don't let her go. Also, place the red-banned male in the O.R. along with the euthanasia drugs. I don't really need all four, now do I?" He asked with a quaint laugh.

As the henchman turned around, Dr. Martin patted Marie on the cheek, "Now, it's still your choice. Which one's next? I only need the two. Think about that on the way to the viewing room."

Marie screamed behind her muzzle and beat her hands on the man's back. However, he didn't even feel it. Her anger was useless. Her eyes burned with hot, angry tears as he carried her off down the hall. That man was going to murder and then dissect her brother! In front of her! HELL! She beat her fists down repeatedly on the henchman's back, wanting to hurt something, anything. Not Raphael! NOO!! When she was dropped into a chair and then tied to it, she was startled to see her brother lying on the table below. He was barely conscious, but she could see the anger in his dark eyes.

"Oh Raphael," she thought to herself, tears coming to her eyes. "Please, no…"

Raphael strained against the belts that were keeping him down. Damn…where was he? What was going on? He remembered briefly, something about Marie…Mikey was down, Rina screaming. Shit. He was in deep shit.

Marie watched with raging anger as the humans walked around her brother, attaching him to machines. What were they doing to him?!

The door opened to her side and Dr. Martin walked in, holding a clipboard. He smiled at her and nodded towards the henchman. He reached over and pulled the gag off the young turtle.

"Don't you dare touch him! I swear, you put one hand on him and I'll rip it off!" she screamed, her fury bubbling like a boiling pot of water.

Dr. Martin nodded and scribbled something down on his clipboard. "Actually, we've decided not to dissect him," he said nonchalantly, not even looking up to see Marie's reaction.

Marie stared at him, "What?"

"Yes, we've decided to perform a vivisection instead," he said, leaning back against the viewing window.

Marie narrowed her eyes, she had never heard of that term before. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, noticing the smirk in his eyes.

Dr. Martin turned to look out the window at Raphael. "Instead of being dead, he'll be alive when we dissect him. It'll be much more interesting," he said, a happy lilt to his voice, "We've dissected many turtles but we've never vivisected such a mature subject. He'll be under deep anesthesia, so he won't feel it but he'll probably still die."

"You ASSHOLE! You can't do that to him, he's a real person! He has feelings, he's my brother!" Marie screamed, tearing at the shackles that kept her down.

Dr. Martin rolled his eyes, "You're partly animals. You don't have feelings like real humans."

"We have more feeling than you do, obviously!" yelled Marie. "Don't you dare hurt him…"

"Please," Rina repeated, looking over at Dr. Kelly with pleading eyes.

The female doctor almost felt sorry for the young turtle girl. "I'm certain that some of them will survive, don't worry," she said, trying to sound positive.

"Some?!" exclaimed Rina, her eyes widening. "No, no, they all have to make it! You can't kill them, they're my family! Please!" She thrashed around on the table, nearly ripping the IV and wires out of herself.

Dr. Kelly sighed as the girl began to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'll do whatever you want me to," she pleaded, laying her head back as she began to beg.

"I'm sorry, I could only get supervision over you and T29," Dr. Kelly said, tapping the IV bag that was attached to Rina's arm.

There was silence then a quiet, "His name is Rembrandt."

"What?" asked Dr. Kelly, peering at the girl. Her eyelids were half-lowered and she was breathing slower.

"He's Rembrandt. I'm Catarina but they call me Rina. My sister, she's Marietta." Rina looked up at Dr. Kelly, her eyes glazing over a bit. "I have four brothers, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo…"

Dr. Kelly looked over at the other woman scientist. "You didn't give her another trank, did you?" Dr. Kelly demanded, her eyes flashing.

The younger woman nodded, holding up the hypodermic needle that she had administered it to the IV with. "I just wanted her to stop moving around, she was going to hurt herself," said the woman.

Dr. Kelly's eyes widened, "You idiot! She's already had one today! She had three yesterday, and from what her vitals were reading, she’s weak now! Moron!"

The younger woman was stunned, "I didn't think…"

"Obviously!" yelled the doctor as she looked at the monitors. T36…Catarina, was breathing much more laboriously and her heart beat was slowing down. "Damn it," Dr. Kelly hissed, rushing over to the phone.

She hit the quick dial, ringing up the doctor that was in charge of the facility, Dr. McCormick. He was currently in the room with the purple turtle and he was quickly learning just how smart he was.

"One second," he said as he reached over to pick up his phone from his pocket. "Hello?"

"McCormick, it's Kelly! We're having a crisis down in exam 5; one of my assistants overdosed the female in the blue and white. She's crashing."

"What?!" McCormick snapped, glancing over at the purple turtle. His arms and legs were bound and he was still suffering from the effects of the tranks, but besides that he seemed fine. McCormick would continue his evaluation later. "Look, give her five CCs of Doxylamine, and I'll be there in a few minutes," he said.

"Okay. Hurry!" Dr. Kelly said before snapping the phone shut.

McCormick nodded to the purple turtle, "We'll continue this conversation later."

"Was that about one of my siblings?" Donnie asked, glaring at the doctor.

"Perhaps," the doctor said before rushing out of the room.

Donatello groaned heavily, as the man hurried on out of the room he was locked up in. He was worried sick about his siblings, as it sounded as though something had gone terribly wrong with one of them. He gave a low growl, feeling infuriated by what was happening to them. They were good people - er, turtles - and yet, they were being treated like the animals they portrayed and as though they'd rabies or something of the sorts. He was supposed to be the smart one, and yet, look at where they had all ended up!

Leonardo meanwhile, had actually been placed in a cell next to the one Michaelangelo was in. He was slightly relieved to see his brother in orange there, though extremely worried about the others as they appeared to be no where nearby. He silently cursed Marie for getting them all in this absolutely ridiculous and un-necessary situation; if she hadn't been so foolhardy, none of them would've been re-captured and locked up as though they were criminals!

"L-Leo?" Mikey groaned, reaching up to grab his aching head - despite the shackles holding him down.

"Mikey? You alright?" Leo asked, giving a sigh, glad to know his brother was alright - for now at least.

"I think so...." Mikey replied. "My head hurts....."

Leo gave a grim half-laugh. "Well, that's to be expected - we got hit with quite a lot of darts."

Mikey shook his head. "Who knew it'd end like this?"

"Don't say that, Michaelangelo!" Leo snapped immediately. "We're going to get out of here!"

"And how're we gonna do that, Leo?" Mikey demanded, turning slightly to eye his brother warily.

"I'm not sure," Leo said honestly. "But we will."

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Yeah, 'cause we're the heroes in a half shell," he joked half-heartedly. "I hope they don't ever catch Master Splinter."

"Me too, Mikey," Leo agreed. "Me too."

April, Casey, and Master Splinter all ran for Casey's motorbike, pausing a moment as they realized there was three of them, only room enough for two. It was then they spotted the side car sitting off to the side - Donnie had made it years ago, so that the girls could ride around with Raph at the same time. April quickly attached the sidecar to the motorbike, and Master Splinter hopped in. The three of them very quickly sped off towards McCormick Labs, more than determined to take down those who dared to cause harm to the turtle family. They arrived not too long after heading off on their mission, though it still seemed too long of a ride to them. Upon arriving, they parked next to the Battle Shell and noticed the Shell Cycle inside, after April had opened the back door, so they could park Casey's bike inside for safe keeping. Somehow, they managed to get both bikes in there quickly and hurried on back out of the Battle Shell, locking it up once more. It was then they got the surprise of a lifetime - there before them stood Karai.

"Karai," April said, looking and sounding utterly surprised.

"What are you doing here?" Casey demanded, reaching for a hockey stick.

"I received a distress signal from the turtles," Karai spoke, bowing slightly to Master Splinter. "We are here to help."

"Why in the world would you do that?" Casey asked, as April raised her eyebrows and Master Splinter nodded to acknowledge the bow.

"The turtles and I have been secretly discussing some things, and I will not let these people who hated my father, harm them," Karai explained. "If you would like more proof, ask Donatello why he put their distress signal in my com-link."

"Your help is very much appreciated," Master Splinter told her. "I have a feeling we will be needing it."

"You will," Karai told him. "I know this building quite well. My father had me investigate it for many different reasons, and I have found ways of getting in and out un-noticed. But, we must hurry, as the longer we stand here, the greater the danger their lives are in."

"Well, let's do this!" Casey exclaimed, as Foot Soldiers suddenly began appearing out of no where. "Though, this better not be a trap, Karai!"

"You have my honor," Karai stated, as they quickly discussed a course of action.

Back inside the McCormick Lab, Dr. McCormick had rushed into the room where Dr. Kelly had the female turtle they had plans to impregnate. He immediately set to work on stabilizing her vitals, all the while harshly scolding the assistant who stupidly had made such a consequential mistake. He worked for quite a while, only to finally hear the sound he wanted to hear - the steady rhythm of her heart beat.

"No more tranks!" He yelled. "Whoever dares to do so, will be forced to take her place!"

He then stormed out of the room, after giving Dr. Kelly some brief instructions, and headed back to where he had left the brainy turtle - the purple one.

Marie growled angrily, as she heard Dr. Martin give the orders for his assistants to begin the vivisection. She watched in absolute horror, as they started up the machines and brought them closer to Raphael - her favourite brother - her hero.

"NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed, suddenly managing to jerk up into a standing position with the chair.

The idiot who'd tied her to it, hadn't done the best of jobs. She immediately swung the chair around, knocking Dr. Martin to the floor, then flung herself through the glass window that separated her from her beloved brother - glass shards flying everywhere, causing everyone in the operating room to scramble. Marie landed hard, but forced herself back up - it was as though she'd never been down. Her anger pulsed through her veins, as she struggled to focus and use her ninjitsu training and the chair as her weapon. She knocked down anyone who dared to come near her, with the chair she was still currently attached too. She spotted Dr. Martin standing up above looking down from near where the window used to be, holding a tranquilizer gun. She quickly spun the chair around, and was briefly relieved when the darts stuck in the chair and not her.

"Someone, stop her!" shouted Dr. Martin, shooting off another dart. This one stuck in an unsuspecting lab assistant.

Marie turned around and rammed the legs of the chair through one of the machines. It sparked and spluttered and the whirr of machines slowly stopped. She took a deep breath; well at least that was taken care of. However, she still had problems to deal with. Humans were running around the room insanely, waving their arms and screaming about insane mutants.

"Oh, go to hell!" she shouted at one of them as they ran by.

She swung the chair around, slamming the legs into his stomach. There was a metallic ping as another dart hit the chair.

"Bad aim, Captain F-off!" Marie shouted, running on adrenaline.

In the chaos, she managed to position herself next to one of the cutting machines. It sliced through the shackles and the ropes and suddenly Marietta was free. She leapt to her feet and grabbed the first pointy objects she spotted, a scalpel and a big knife. She brandished them in front of her and let out a whoop.

"C'mon, you punk asses, I'll take you all down! Let's go!"

One of the doctors came towards her and she flicked the scalpel at them. It lodged in their shoulder and he stumbled backwards, grabbing at it.

"Yeah, whatcha gonna do now! Even playing field, rarr!" she screeched, daring them to come attack her.

As McCormick stepped back into the turtle in the purple bandanna’s room, he was promptly knocked upside the head with a pair of clenched fists. Donnie glared at the man's unconscious body before bending down next to him to find the keys to his shackles.

"He didn't even check to see that I was properly sedated. Moron," mumbled Donnie as he unlocked the shackles on his feet then went to work on his wrists. He finished with the shackles and then put them on McCormick.

"Maybe someone will find you eventually," he said, stepping out of the room, carrying the rest of the keys he found on McCormick. He wandered down the hallways, wondering exactly where to go. He came to the place where the male turtles were kept.

"Donnie!" He heard a familiar voice call and he turned to find Rembrandt holding onto the bars of a cage.

"Rembrandt, thank God," he said, moving to unlock the cage. He glanced past the younger turtle,

"Where's Rina?"

"I don't know, they might have taken her back to the lab," he said as he stepped out of the cage.

Donatello felt his blood run cold. What if that call had been about Rina? An overdose on tranquilizers… "Can you take me there?" he demanded, and Rembrandt nodded.

"Of course."

"Let's go then!" said Donnie and the two of them set off, Donnie following Rembrandt.

Elsewhere, Master Splinter and co. were hurrying down the hallways. Karai's foot ninja were heading before them. They were all carrying small devices that looked sort of like timed explosives.

"Is there a reason for your ninjas carrying explosives, Karai?" asked Master Splinter, looking at the ninja mistress.

She nodded, "This place is an abomination. After we rescue your children, we shall set off the explosives. This building has no place."

Master Splinter nodded. Although it seemed extreme to him, maybe it was the only way to deal with this laboratory. They had come across minimal protection; most people seemed to be off handling other things.

In their cells, Leonardo and Michelangelo heard someone coming down the hallway.

"Leo, they're coming for us," Mikey said, tossing his brother a fearful look.

Leo put on a steely face; they’d have to take him before they touched Mikey.

"Hey, look, it's Leo!" Casey yelled before he loped down the hallway to the turtle's cage.

Leonardo couldn't have been more surprised to see anyone. "Casey?" he asked, eye ridges raised.

"CASEY!!!" Mikey yelped happily, jumping up and rushing to the bars. "Casey…APRIL!! Yay, we're rescued!" Mikey said, nearly dancing around his cell.

"Mikey, you're alright, that's great!" April said, running up to the bars to touch his hand.

Mikey smiled at her, "Of course we are, we're mutant ninja turtles. Emphasis on ninja!"

Leonardo rolled his eyes and then he noticed his sensei and Karai. He bowed to the two of them, "I'm supposing you've come to rescue us?"

"I cannot let any one but myself kill my father's enemies," said Karai as she used her sword to slice through the locks.

Leo stepped out of his cage and smirked at her, "So you're saving us just to kill us later?"

"My son, she is helping us, do not question her at this time," Master Splinter reprimanded.

Dr. Kelly was monitoring the young female when she heard the door to the examination room open. "McCormick, I've got it handled, I don't need your help anymore," she said as she scribbled notes down on her clip board.

"I'm not McCormick," a voice said and suddenly she was sprawled out on the floor, her legs having been knocked out from under her.

One of the male turtles, the one with the purple bandanna, was glaring down at her. There was fear in his eyes though as he glanced over at the little female on the examination table, "What did you do to my sister?"

"Nothing," said Dr. Kelly and he looked as if he was going to hit her. She cowered, "One of my assistants overdosed her! She's fine now, she just needs close monitoring; her stability is fragile!"

Donatello glared down at her before walking over to the table. He touched Rina's cheek and glanced at the heart monitor. She was still alive, that was all that mattered.

“How’re we going to get her out of here?” Rembrandt asked, coming to stand beside Donatello.

“I don’t know,” Donatello admitted with a half defeated sigh. “I’m not sure it’s safe to move her just yet – especially if her stability is fragile.”

Dr. Kelly sat on the floor, listening and observing the two males as they stood next to the female. They seemed to truly care about the one in blue and white; it was as though she were watching humans stand over an ill sibling. But, she wasn’t watching humans! She was watching mutant turtles! She shook her head in disbelief – sure, she was the most humane scientist in the whole building, but she was still extremely shocked by how they were acting. If she didn’t know better, she’d say they were human.

“If we can’t move her, then how do we get her out of here?” Rembrandt wanted to know.

“You let me help,” Dr. Kelly piped up, from her spot on the floor.

Donatello eyed the scientist warily. “And you expect us to trust you?” He snapped.

“Hey, I’m the one who made sure Dr. Martin didn’t get a hold of her!” Dr. Kelly exclaimed. “And if it weren’t for the fact he’s of higher rank, I would’ve been able to wrangle the other female away from him as well! But, he has insisted he have his way with her.”

“His way with her?” Donatello repeated, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Just what do you mean by that?”

“We only need the one female, apparently,” Dr. Kelly answered. “He’s deemed the other unfertile, without even running any tests! She’s to live until we at least find out if this female – Catarina – is fertile.”

“How do you know her name?” Donatello demanded, more than ready to pounce on the female scientist.

“She informed me, before an idiot assistant over-dosed her on tranquilizers,” Dr. Kelly retorted, sounding angry about the overdose. “I can’t believe the idiots they let in here!”

“I can agree with that,” Donatello stated.

“So which one are you?” Dr. Kelly asked, as she cautiously stood up. “Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, or Michaelangelo?”

“Donatello,” he replied shortly. “Now, if you’re going to make it so we can move her, you’d best do it quick and I want to know everything you’re doing to her!”

“Where are the others, my sons?” Master Splinter demanded, as they all hurried down the hallways, still in search of the missing turtles.

“No idea, Sensei,” Leonardo replied. “I woke up only to find Mikey and I locked up in there. I don’t know what they did with the others.”

“They would only need half of you to study,” Karai spoke. “I have an idea where the others are. Follow me!”

The group all hurried after Karai, as she took them down long, winding corridors, stopping when she finally reached what seemed to me a main hallway. She paused a moment, then nodded to her right.

“This way,” she stated.

“How -” Mikey began, but trailed off, as he heard what sounded like a fight going on, and just possibly Marie’s battle cry.

“ARRRRH!” Marie shrieked, quickly jumping and tackling one of the idiots who dared to get too close to her favourite brother. “BACK OFF!!!”

She did a spinning high kick to another’s head – despite how sore the welts on her legs were, midst slashing one with the large knife she had grabbed up upon breaking free of her restraints.

“I’ll show you Bastards what happens when you mess with my family!” She continued to battle it out, unaware that help was on its way, or the fact that her brother had awoken. She became aware of the one factor though, when she heard someone say her name.

“Marie….” Raphael managed to spit out, still a little foggy on the current events.

“Raph!” Marie exclaimed, thrilled beyond belief to know that he was okay – though, she may not be as thrilled once he got a hold of her. “You’re okay!”

"Wha…" he mumbled as he tried to focus in on his sister's face. Everything was hazy, as if someone had dropped a veil over his eyes.

Tears of joy sprang to Marie's face; she was just so relieved that they hadn't seriously screwed him up with drugs or anything. "I'm gonna get you outta here, I promise," she said, gritting her teeth.

Dr. Martin had run out of darts but he still had his whip. He leapt down from the viewing room, landing unsteadily on his feet.

Marie glared at him and snatched a scalpel from the tray. "You ass, go away!" she screamed, throwing it at him.

It lodged in his side and he let out a shout of pain. Glowering, he stood up and snapped the whip out, letting it lick against Raphael's arm. The turtle in red rumbled in anger and struggled against the restraints.

"I told you not to touch him!" Marie screamed, leaping at him.

The whip sprang out again, this time wrapping around her ankles. A quick jerk had her on the ground and Dr. Martin was standing over her, one foot on her plastron to hold her down.

"Look, turtle bitch," he grumbled, yanking the scalpel from his side. He bent down and slid it along her cheek, cutting a thin line, "I'm not gonna take this shit from you. You're mine. I'm going to enjoy slicing you open. I'll make sure you're good and awake too." He pulled back and drove the scalpel into her arm.

Marie let out a scream and grabbed his foot, tossing him to the side.

Dr. Martin was scrambling to his feet when a large hand grabbed his neck from behind.

"You aren't going to touch my family again," Leonardo's voice growled into his ear. There was a snap and the doctor crumbled to the ground.

Marie stared at the doctor and then looked up at Leo. She wasn't sure whether she should be so friggin' glad to see him or angry that he had stolen her revenge.

Master Splinter walked into the room and stared around at the chaos. There was glass everywhere and unconscious human scientists. He turned to Karai, "Could your foot ninja carry these scientists to safety? They may be doing horrible things, but it is very likely that they were only doing as they were told."

Karai nodded and motioned towards her ninja. They rushed in and began to pick up the scientists while Mikey hurried in and went to Marie.

"Hey, you okay, Marie?" He noticed the welts on her legs and the cut on her cheek.

She nodded, not wanting to seem weak then. Really, her injuries hurt like hell! However, she was more worried about Raphael at the moment. "Mikey, we need to get Raph out!" She said, tugging on his hand.

Casey Jones appeared at their side, a glare on his normally happy-go-lucky face. "Ah, what'd those bastards do to my green buddy?" he snarled, pulling a machete out of his golf caddy bag. He quickly sliced through the bindings and Leo stepped forward to help Raphael sit up.

"Ugh, did anyone get the number on that semi?" he grumbled. The turtle in red was extremely dizzy and not very coherent.

"Hehe, I thought you ninjas were taught to notice those things," said Casey, smirking at Raphael.

Raph didn't even glare back at him. He leaned heavily on Leonardo as he slid off the table, his legs nearly buckling beneath him. He felt someone smaller slip under his other arm and he looked down to see Marie. Blood was running down her cheek but she had a determined look about her. He smiled a bit and slumped further against Leo.

Master Splinter turned to Karai, "Donatello, Catarina, and my newest, Rembrandt, are still missing."

Karai narrowed her eyes, "We should find them soon. The police may already be on the way."

"Well, let's go!" Mikey said, leading the way out of the room. He was ready to find his remaining siblings and book it out of that joint!

Dr. Kelly rushed up next to the table and picked a hypodermic needle up from the tray. Donatello caught her wrist but she pulled away from him,

"Stop, I'm not going to hurt her. This is a drug we've used quite a few times around here on our…" she glanced over at Rembrandt, not knowing whether to call him an experiment or not. "Our turtles," she said finally. "It's a little risky, but if she's like…Rembrandt, it'll help strengthen her body, at least for a little while."

Donnie nodded and let go of her wrist. Dr. Kelly quickly administered the drug and then began un-strapping her. "You'll have to carry her, we don't have any stretchers lying around," she said.

Rembrandt moved to help her, his hands moving expertly against the restraints.

When Rina was free, Donatello scooped her up into his arms. Dr. Kelly reached over and carefully pulled the IV out of her arm. She led the way to the door and held it open for them.

"You," she said, looking at Rembrandt, "I know you know the way out of here. Take them that way and get out. I'll try to distract anyone else, but it seems like this place is becoming a mad house."

She turned her attention to Donatello. "It'll be a few hours before she wakes up, her body is trying to heal itself. She'll be groggy for a few days and even if she doesn't have an appetite, make her eat and drink. Watch her temperature too; don't let her get too hot or too cold." She sighed regretfully, "I'm sorry this happened to you."

"We are too," Donatello said before walking out the door. Rembrandt got in front of him and walked quickly, nearly running.

Donnie quickly hurried after Rembrandt, an unconscious, but alive, Catarina in his arms. He'd kill anyone who tried to stop him from leaving this place with his siblings - he was in no mood, and had lost respect for the majority of scientists - though, he knew not all were as evil as these ones.

"Ah!" Rembrandt exclaimed, coming to a halt as he almost crashed into a Foot Solider.

Donnie looked up, as he'd glanced down to check on Rina, half-relieved to find it was only a Foot Soldier. "I take it Karai got the distress signal?" He stated, as the ninja nodded.

"Come this way. Quickly! We must get out of here, before Mistress Karai destroys the place." The Foot Soldier informed them.

"You need to get the female scientist out of the room back there - she goes by Dr. Kelly," Donnie told him. "She's a good one, all things considered."

The Foot Ninja nodded. "Go down this hall, and to the left - you will find your family there."

Donnie nodded, and hurried along with Rembrandt now at his side. They had to find the others and get out of there as fast as they possibly could.

Meanwhile, the others were traveling quickly, trying to locate Donatello, Rembrandt, and Catarina. Marie was currently thinking the worst, but forcefully shoving those thoughts out of her head - especially when Raph suddenly groaned.

"Slow down, will yah? My feet are lead," he grumbled, still leaning mostly against Leo, though Marie was doing her best to keep him up despite her injuries.

"We have to find the others!” Leo insisted, though he did slow his pace down a bit.

"That's what the others are for," Raph muttered, indicating Master Splinter, Karai, April, Casey, and the few Foot Soldiers that trailed along behind them.

Leo shook his head, knowing Raph had to hate having to admit defeat - somewhat - as he was still in a bit of a haze.

"I found 'em!" A voice rang out then, causing them all to look away from Raphael.

"Rembrandt, my son," Master Splinter smiled, immensely glad to have found another one of his pupils.

Just then, an older male turtle with a purple bandanna rounded the corner, carrying the young female with the blue and white bandanna; he gave a huge sigh and a soft smile upon spotting the rest of his family, as well as Karai and hers.

"You're here," he said softly. "We gotta get out of here."

"Kitty!" Marie cried, spotting Rina in Donnie's arms. "What'd they do to Kitty!?!?"

"I'll explain on the way out," Donnie replied.

"Let's go," Karai stated, quickly leading the way, the turtle clan quickly following after her.

Upon reaching the exit, Marie paused a moment. "My sai!" She exclaimed, not liking the thought of leaving them behind at all. They meant way too much to her, for her to just up and leave them in the hands of the enemy.

"We'll get you new ones, don't worry," Mikey told her, as he took Raph from her - listening to her cries of protest - over both losing the sai, and him taking Raphael from her.

Master Splinter went to speak, but Leonardo beat him to it. "Marietta! You've caused enough trouble for one night!" He snapped angrily. "Now, get in the Battle Shell before I drag you there myself!"

Marie scowled, grumbling as she vacated the building, feeling totally defeated. When they reached the van, they found a welcomed surprise - Foot Soldiers stood there holding their weapons.

"I figured you may need these," Karai spoke. "So I had my men grab them for you."

"My sai!" Marie whooped, eagerly retrieving them from the Foot Solider who held them. She then turned and impulsively hugged Karai. "Thank-you!"

Karai looked a bit startled, though she did her best to hide her surprise. "A ninja must take care of her weapons," she stated. "And one cannot do that, if they do not have them."

Marie gave a sheepish look, as her family quickly climbed into the Battle Shell - Casey and April getting on his motorbike, and Mikey getting on Raph's.

"Let's blow this joint!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Marie! Let's go!" Donnie yelled, as he got in, still holding onto Rina.

"Ah - bye!" Marie stated, quickly turning on her heel and jumping into the back of the Battle Shell.

Leo was driving, as Donnie had Rina, Raph was still not up to it, Master Splinter didn't know how, and Mikey had taken the Shell Cycle. Marie groaned, as she sat down on a seat in the back, suddenly remembering she'd still a scalpel stuck in her arm.

"Oh, boy....." She sighed, knowing it'd hurt like a bitch to get it out.

Leo revved up the engine of the Battle Sell and it roared to life. He took out a couple trash cans as he drove it out into the street. Marie braced herself and hissed as the scalpel in her shoulder ached.

Master Splinter noticed her pain. "Marietta, my daughter, come here," he said, beckoning her over.

She stood up and stumbled towards him, unable to keep her balance with Leo's crappy driving.

"No wonder Donnie or Raph always drives!" Marie said.

Leo glared at her via the mirror, "Marie, I don't want to hear anything from you. At all."

Marie frowned but held her tongue as she knelt in front of Master Splinter.

He glanced over the scalpel and sighed, "Marietta, why did you not tell anyone?" He gave a tsk and shook his head as he ripped a strip off his robe off. "I am going to remove it," he said, looking at her eyes.

"No, Sensei, it's fine, it doesn't really hurt," she said, leaning away from him. Quicker than she could follow, he had reached out and yanked the scalpel from her arm. She let out a scream and grabbed at the wound. "Shit! That hurt!"

Master Splinter moved her hand away and wrapped the wound tightly, staving off any further blood loss. "There you are, Marietta," he said, giving her a smile.

She stared back at him, not sure of how to react.

"Sensei, are we going back to the lair?" Leonardo asked. He was driving one-handed since Mikey had called him on his Shell Cell.

Master Splinter shook his head. "We shall continue on to Ms. O'Neil's farm house," he said, stroking his chin, "The city is a dangerous place for us at the moment. I think it is best if we retire there for the time being."

Marie moved over and sat down next to Rembrandt. Well, at least they were going to the farm house, even if it was under bad circumstances.

Rembrandt was looking at Rina, his grey eyes worried. He hoped that she would make it; it'd hurt to lose a family member he'd just met, especially the one who had named him.

"Hey Leo," Marie started but Leonardo gave her such a glare that she stopped.

"Marie, don't talk," he growled.

Marietta leaned back against the side of the side of the Battle Shell and put her head to her knees. It was going to be a long ride…

About an hour later; Raphael was coherent enough to figure out everything that was going on. He turned to Marie who was sitting beside him and scowled fiercely.

"Just what was going through your pea-sized brain, Marietta?" he suddenly snapped, causing her to stare at him. She cringed, she had been expecting this. "Did you really think it would be a good idea to go back in there and attack that guy? Did you even think that we might come after you? Damn, could you be any more self-centered?!" he snarled, shoving a finger into her face. "You and your crazy sense of vengeance! I told you that you were going to get someone hurt. And look, you almost managed to kill off your entire family! Good job, genius!" He threw his hands in the air, "You better be glad I'm not up to hitting you right now. I swear, Marie, for once, couldn't yah have thought of someone ‘sides yourself?"

Marie shrunk some, partly relieved her brother wasn't up to hitting anything or anyone - namely, herself. She kept silent though, as Leo had instructed her to do. For once, she was actually going to listen to her brothers - no matter how much she hated having to keep quiet. She buried her face into her lap, though it killed to do so, as the welts on her legs were throbbing like crazy.

Rembrandt watched everyone, also quiet, but by choice not orders. He wasn't quite sure what to say, and he was still overly concerned about Catarina, who still remained unconscious in Donatello's lap.

"She'll be okay, won't she?" He asked finally, unable to stand the tense silence any longer.

Donnie glanced up, giving him a hopeful smile. "She should be," he said. "I'm hoping, anyway."

Raph glared at Marie upon hearing this, and the girl just shrunk even more - if at all possible.

They drove for quite a while, making sure to take a different route than usual, should someone actually be following them. Soon enough though, they reached April's farmhouse, and pulled into the long driveway. Once they had parked, everyone began to pile out. April and Casey had tagged along as well, as April had the keys to the house.

"Here, let me unlock the door," April said. "Then you can get Rina upstairs and into a bed."

Donnie nodded as he climbed out carefully. "Make it one near the bathroom," he replied. "In case I have to bring down any fevers."

Everyone else followed Donnie out of the Battle Shell, except for Marie, whom was extremely sore, and a bit scared to move.

"Wow," Rembrandt breathed, looking around wide-eyed. "This is a farm?"

"Yup!" Mikey smiled, draping his arm over the younger boy's shoulders. "This would be the farmhouse we were talking about."

"Casey!" April called. "Come help me get some sheets on a bed for Rina!"

"Comin', Babe!" Casey called back, hurrying upstairs after the woman he loved.

"I'm not a babe!" April's voice rang out.

While everyone else went inside, Marie stayed out in the Battle Shell. She didn't want to go inside and face everyone. It'd be worse now that they were all together and in the house. They were going to be so angry. She sighed and put her head in her hands. She was so afraid of making Raphael angry and now he was furious at her. She had no idea how she was going to fix this one. And what about the others? It seemed like Leonardo wasn't going to talk to her, Donnie obviously wasn't happy with her, and who knew what Mikey was thinking? Rembrandt was probably indifferent but she knew Master Splinter was going to be disappointed. A hiss escaped her mouth as she brushed her elbows against her legs. Wow, that hurt…Outside, the sun was starting to rise over the treetops; Marie could see the dim light from the back of the Battle Shell.

"Marie, come on, get out of there," a soft voice said from the doorway of the Battle Shell.

She turned her head and saw Leo standing there, one hand on the door. She shrunk back from him and looked down at the floor of the van.

"I don't wanna," she said, fiddling with the handles on her sai.

Leo rolled his eyes and stepped into the Battle Shell. "You can't sit out here all day," he said, his voice much nicer than she had expected. "We're all tired; you should be in bed."

Marie looked up at Leo and blinked a couple of tears out of her eyes, "O-okay." She climbed out of the van behind him.

He narrowed his eyes as he saw the angry red welts on her legs. "Where did those marks come from?" He asked, pointing to her legs.

She shrugged her shoulders and winced as she walked up the stairs. "They're nothing…" She said but he wasn't convinced.

"They look like whip marks, Marie," he mumbled and she looked away. He braced his shoulders; as if this night wasn't bad enough, that man had taken a whip to his little sister. "We'll put some ice on them," he said firmly as they walked into the front hall.

Marie sighed as she was steered into the den.

Mikey was in there, and he gave Marie a small smile as she walked in. "Hey, munchkin, how ya feeling?" He asked as she sat down on the couch.

"Lie down," said Leo and she followed his orders.

Mikey noticed the welts and gave a sympathetic hiss of pain. "Ooo, kiddo," he said, his beak scrunching up. "That doesn't look like fun. How'd you get those?" He asked, sitting down on the floor beside the couch.

Marie sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "That bastard had a whip," she said curtly, "And he knew how to use it. Sicko."

Mikey frowned but took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "It'll feel better soon, don't worry," he said.

Leo came back in, a couple of rags in his hand and a bowl of cold water with ice in it. "This'll take the sting out and make the swelling go down," he said as he dipped one of the rags into the water.

Marie held tight to Mikey as Leo laid the rag against her enflamed skin. She chewed on her bottom lip. Damn, ow…

Upstairs, Raphael had crashed on one of the beds and was dead asleep.

"Bed don't even got sheets on it," mumbled Casey as he leaned against the doorway, watching his friend sleep.

April put a hand on the big guy's shoulder. "Like you sleep with sheets," she teased him.

He smirked down at her, "Hey, where I sleep now, we got nice sheets. Pink, yeah, but they're still nice."

"Caaasey!" April exclaimed, smacking him on the shoulder. She nestled her head briefly against his shoulder before turning around and going back into the room she had just left.

Donnie had put Rina to bed but he needed some sleep as well. His head kept drooping down onto his chest.

April smiled down at him as she touched his shoulders, "Donnie, go get some sleep, I'll keep an eye on her."

"But April…"

"No, go on, I'll watch her," April said, pushing him to the door, "I'll come get you if anything happens."

He finally nodded; he wouldn't be any good to her right now anyways, as tired as he was. He wandered into a room and found Rembrandt asleep on top of the covers. He smiled a bit; the kid obviously didn't know when to crawl under the covers. He grabbed a quilt and threw it over him before lying down in the other bed.

Master Splinter, meanwhile, had decided to check on each of his students, to ensure that they were indeed all right. He smiled softly, when he found Raphael passed out in a bed - no doubt his red masked son was still groggy, and more than likely still extremely furious with his sister, who he'd yell at some more when he felt up to giving her a better scolding. He shook his head, and made his way on down the hall, smiling again when he found both Rembrandt and Donatello asleep in the same room. It was obvious his second oldest son had covered the younger boy up with the quilt that lay over his young sleeping form. He was glad to see his sons had willingly accepted their newest brother into the family with open arms. He continued on down the hall, stopping at the doorway of the room he knew Rina indeed lie inside of. He entered and made his way over to his daughter, passing April on his way.

"How is she?" He asked, smoothing back the hair of his child.

"As well as can be expected," April sighed. "Donnie's sure she'll be okay within a few days though. I mean, somehow she'll sense she's safe - right?"

"Yes, I believe that she will know she is safe," Master Splinter agreed. "She may be the quieter of the girls, but she is still a fighter."

He smiled proudly, as he sat in the chair that had been placed next to the bed. "I shall sit with her for now, Ms. O'Neil. You and Mr. Jones need your rest as well."

"Are you sure?" April asked, grateful but hesitant all the same, as she was worried about the young girl that still lie unconscious.

"Yes, my child," Master Splinter assured her, giving a nod. "You must rest."

April kissed his furry cheek. "Call me if you need anything," she told him, before leaving the room and joining Casey in the master bedroom, where she too crashed along side of him.

Back downstairs, Marie stifled the whimpers that desperately wanted to escape. Her legs were now cold and still throbbing - though, Leo had assured her the cool cloths and ice would make the swelling go down - she just hoped she didn't end up with frostbite.

"Why don't you sleep, Munchkin?" Mikey suggested, as he sat playing with her hands that had clung tightly to him while Leo tended to her injuries. "We're not going anywhere."

Marie was hesitant, but spoke softly, eyeing both her brothers. "Promise?" She half asked, half pleaded.

"Promise," Leo replied, giving her a sincere look. He may be extremely upset with her still, but he wouldn't allow for her to be scared more than necessary.

"Okay," Marie whispered, relaxing as she lie against Mikey, who'd carefully maneuvered them so that they were both in a more comfortable position.

Leo put the foot stool on the lazy boy chair up and made himself comfortable, knowing he'd have to keep an eye on Marie's legs throughout the night, to ensure she didn't end up with infection or frostbite. Soon, all in the farmhouse were asleep, all completely exhausted from what had happened earlier that night.

That evening, Marie woke up to sound of someone crashing around in the kitchen.

"There's nothing to eat in this place!" Raphael yelled as he slammed one cabinet closed and opened another one. He rummaged around, not really finding anything.

Marie turned her head to find Mikey sleeping next to her and Leonardo sacked out on the floor. She didn't know if she wanted to go face her older brother in the kitchen or not. He would most likely still be angry at her. Still, she was feeling mighty hungry. She moved away from Mikey and stood up from the couch. Well, her legs didn't hurt as much as they had the day before. She walked into the kitchen just as Casey came in.

"Damn, Raph, be a little louder, would ya?" the human grumbled. He had to duck as the turtle in red launched a box of cake mix at his head. Casey rolled his eyes and nodded to Marie, "Hey kid."

Raphael stopped rummaging through the cabinet and turned to look at her. He scowled fiercely but it didn't seem like he was going to attack her. Oh, no, he had come up with a better punishment than that. He had decided to ignore her except to glare at her. He wasn't even going to acknowledge her.

Marie let out a sigh of relief when Raphael didn't launch himself at her. Maybe he wasn't as angry as she had thought.

Casey came back out of the pantry holding a bunch of cans of food like green beans, corn, and other vegetables.

"We gotta go to the grocery store and soon," he said as he put the cans down on the table. "Hey, you two wanna start opening some cans?" he asked, rummaging around the drawer for a can opener.

Raphael smirked and grabbed a knife from a drawer. He slammed it into a lid and started sawing away.

Casey rolled his eyes and handed the opener to Marie. "I'll start the stove up."

A few minutes later, the others started wandering into the kitchen, following the scent of food.

"MMmmm, what is that?" asked Mikey as he walked into the kitchen. He ogled the food on the stove top and grinned, "Hmm, veggies."

"Be glad it's something, Mike," said Casey, waving a ladle at the turtle.

Mikey put up his hands, "Hey, I'm not complaining." He sat down at the table next the Marie who was watching Casey cook.

Raphael had gone outside and hadn't spoken a word to her.

"Well, look who's up," said Leo, coming into the kitchen.

Marie gave him a half-smile and ran her finger along the table top.

Leo looked over at the vegetables and Casey frowned at him, "Not a word, blue boy."

Leo smirked and headed out the door to check on Raphael.

Rembrandt raced down the stairs next, nearly colliding with Leo. He took a quick step to the side to avoid the older turtle and then sprang over to the table.

"Food!" he exclaimed, "I knew I smelt it."

Mikey laughed at him, "You have the best appreciation for good food ever, Rembrandt."

The turtle in grey smiled back, "I try."

After Rembrandt came down, Donnie was next.

"Morning, Don," Casey said as the turtle in the purple bandanna leaned against the wall.

"Morning, everyone," he replied, giving them a soft smile. He looked over at Marie, "Are you feeling okay?"

She nodded, trying not to think of the welts on her legs. "I'm fine," she said.

"Hey, how's Rina?" Mikey asked with concern.

"I'm okay," a soft voice said from the stair well. Rina was standing there, leaning against the doorway. She had woken up after Donnie had come to check on her and she had followed him downstairs. She was a bit dizzy but she was thinking that she could walk it off. She was just happy to see that they had somehow made it to the farmhouse, though she was entirely confused on how that happened.

Donnie quickly rushed to Rina's side, steadying her as her next step was a bit wobbly. "You could've yelled for someone, you know!" He exclaimed, glad she was okay, but still quite surprised to find her following him downstairs.

Rina groaned, rolling her eyes slightly. "I'm fine Donnie.....just make the room stop spinning," she told him, though she did lean against her brother in purple.

Donnie shook his head. "Between the two of you, I don't know who is more stubborn," he commented, easing Rina into a chair.

Rina shrugged. "I hafta eat, don't I?" "

Yes, you do," Donnie agreed. "But, still!"

Marie smiled a little at her sister, before staring back down at the table cloth. She was still unsure just how angry everyone was with her - even if they were being pretty caring, since she had gotten hurt as well.

Rina sniffed. "Veggies?" She said, wrinkling her beak slightly.

"Hey, until April gets to the grocery store, this is all we've got," Casey replied, dishing some out onto each plate that set upon the table.

"I heard that!" April stated, entering the kitchen then. "And who says you're not doing the grocery shopping, hmm?"

"Aww, April," Casey pouted, causing Mikey to laugh.

"She's got yah there," Mikey grinned.

Rembrandt smiled listening to them all, and eagerly dug into the vegetables that had been placed before him on his plate. Boy, was he ever starved!

Master Splinter came down the stairs then, smiling when he found Catarina sitting at the table as well. "My daughter," he said, smiling, as he went over and patted her shoulder. "How are you feeling, my child?"

"Hungry," Rina told him, then admitted. "And a little dizzy....nothing I can't walk off."

Master Splinter smiled and kissed her head, before taking a seat as well at the table. "Mm....Wise choice, Mr. Jones," he said, referring to the meal. "I believe me pupils are due for a good, healthy meal."

Raph snorted as him and Leo re-entered the kitchen, via the back door. "I'd prefer a burger or pizza, but this crap'll do."

"My son, you should be grateful for any meal you have," Master Splinter reprimanded.

Raph grunted, taking a seat next to Rembrandt, and as far away from Marie was possible - which, was odd, as they always sat near one another.

Marie glanced up to eye her brother in red, as Leo took the seat next to her - he and Mikey seeming to be the only two of the four that were willing to sit with her, though she hadn't seen much of Donnie.

"I take it everyone slept well," Master Splinter queried.

"Like a rock!" Rembrandt exclaimed, smiling big. "I've never been so comfortable in my life!"

Everyone smiled at the young boy's enthusiasm - they all knew this was probably like Heaven to him. Heck, anything was better than where he'd been stuck his whole life, until they'd rescued him.

"We are rested, Sensei," Leonardo stated, after having had taken a look around at his brothers. He didn't bother speaking for the girls, as he could tell they were both not well and still a bit exhausted from the night before - Rina especially, since she had had to endure so much considering all those stupid tranks they'd ejected into her system.

They all ate, talking amongst themselves as they tried to decide just what they were going to do that day - Rina not happy at all with Donnie's insistence of her sticking to bed rest.

Marie listened quietly, as everyone talked at once, occasionally stealing glances at her favourite brother - who did nothing but glare in return. She sighed and stood up once she had finished.

"I'm goin' out," she piped up finally, pausing long enough to watch Raphael - waiting for him to say something - anything.

"Don't go far," Leonardo said as he stood up from the table. He started collecting plates from the table while Marie stood up and hurried out the kitchen door.

April jumped up from the table as well and smiled at everyone. "Me and Casey are going to the store!" She declared happily.

Casey flicked his eyes up at her, "Eh, what if I don't wanna go?"

"Who said you have a choice?" She asked, grabbing his arm and pulling him up from the table. April wanted to leave the family on their own for a while to sort out their problems. There was obviously some animosity aimed at Marietta, but that was almost to be expected. April hoped they wouldn't go too hard on the turtle in purple and yellow. She had tried to help after causing the problem and maybe she was right, the man would've come after them anyways.

Casey grumbled as April dragged him away from the table. He grabbed his keys from the ash tray and waved to those still sitting at the table. "See you guys later," he said while April yanked on his arm. "Sheesh, I'm comin', I'm comin'!"

"Hehe, Casey's been woman-whipped," Raphael chuckled, leaning back in his chair.

"Aww, it's cute," gushed Mikey before he started laughing.

After a little while Raphael got up and wandered off into the living room, probably to go outside through the front door. He was obviously avoiding Marie; perhaps he was so angry with her that he was afraid he'd really hurt her if he had to talk to her.

Rina dawdled at the table, reluctant to return upstairs and to bed. Outside, she could see the springtime sunshine. It would be such a waste to go upstairs and sleep while she could just lie out on the lawn and at least enjoy herself. Of course, Donnie probably wouldn't see it this way. She let out a huff and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"Can I go explore?" Rembrandt asked, staring out the same window that Rina was.

Master Splinter nodded, "Of course, but do not stray out of sight of the house."

"And be careful in the barn, there's lots equipment in there that you shouldn't mess with," Leonardo said as Rembrandt sprang for the doorway. He rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath, "Kids."

Rina glanced to the door, wondering if she could sneak out without anyone noticing. She slid her chair out from under the table.

"Heading upstairs, Rina?" Donnie asked, seeing her move.

She let out a labored sigh, "Can't I go outside like everyone else?"

Outside, Marie saw Rembrandt come running out of the house. He stared around at the sky, the grass, the barn, the trees…

"Wow…" He murmured, turning around in a circle. He had never been outside like this in his entire life. This was his first experience with sunshine. "Marie isn't it great?" He asked, turning towards her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's alright," she said, sitting down on the steps to the small back porch. She watched Rembrandt run around, inspecting the budding flowers and trees. He was so excited it was like watching a little kid at his first time in a candy store or something like that.

Eventually, Marie got up and shuffled across the yard. She saw Raphael sitting on the front steps. She almost backtracked but he turned and tossed her a glance.

"Marie. C'mere," he said, calling her over.

She walked over to him slowly, her bare feet sinking into the uncut grass. She sat down beside him and they were quiet for a long time, just sitting beside each other. They heard the back door open and then slam.

"I'm gonna stay out here whether you want me to or not, Donnie!" Rina's voice exclaimed imperiously.

There was Donnie's muffled response and then Mikey's yell, "I'll keep a watch on her, Don, no worries."

"I don't to be watched…"

"It's either that or Donnie puts you back inside."

Raphael smirked and shook his head, "Crazy girl." Marie didn't answer but she thought he was right.

After a little more time, Marie said, "Raph?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, twiddling her thumbs.

"Yeah, I still am," Raphael grumbled, "But I'm happier that you're okay. Hey, look at me," he said, catching her attention. "You have to learn to control your temper, when to use it. It ain't gonna do anybody any damn good if you run off like that and try to get yourself killed! I don't know what was going through your head, Kid, but it sure wasn't smart."

He let out a growl and shook his head, "Rina could've died. I could've died. You could've died. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, "I just…I couldn't let him threaten us any more. He was dangerous; he hurt me and Rina when we were young. I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't do it again."

"You could've told us, dammit," said Raphael, clenching his fists, "But, y'know, there was a time when I would've done the same thing."

"Really?" Marie asked, staring up at him.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't try to be like me," said Raphael, shaking his head, "I'm a bad role model."

"I don't think so," said Marie, smiling at him.

"Yeah, well, you're a first," he replied, rolling his dark brown eyes.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, before Marie finally spoke. "Raph......what's Sensei gonna do to me?" She asked hesitantly. "I mean, I - I just - yanno?"

Raph shrugged. "I don't know, Kid. All I know is that he ain't happy 'bout it," he told her. "But he is glad we're all okay and safe - for the time being, at least." He eyed her momentarily, and finally got a good look at her injuries. "How're yer legs?" He asked.

"They're okay," Marie sighed. "They're not as sore as they were last night."

"You should get Donnie to give yah a once over," he stated.

"Donnie pokes too damned much," Marie grumbled. "I don't wanna be poked an' prodded while it still hurts."

"Someone's gotta bandage yah up, Runt," Raph said firmly, giving her a Look. "Don't make me hafta drag yah in there for him to do so."

Rina lie on the grass out back of the farm house, smiling as she watched Rembrandt run about and check things out excitedly. "Don't go into overload!" She called out teasingly. Rembrandt looked over at her with a wide grin upon his face.

"This is Awesome!" He exclaimed. "This - just - Wow!"

Rina laughed, shaking her head slightly - though that proved to not be smart. "Ohhh...." She groaned softly, lying her head in her hands - she was lying on her plastron, propped up on her elbows.

"Hey, I'd say that a lil' quieter, if I were you.," Mikey said, lying down next to her, and twiddling with a blade of grass. "Donnie hears yah, an' he'll ship yah off back upstairs to rest."

Rina moved her head slightly so she looked down, then lifted her eyes upwards not wanting to fully roll them, in case that made her dizzy like shaking her head had.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I just need sleep, fresh air, and sunshine - plenty of sunshine."

"No arguments there," Mikey smirked. "You're lookin' a bit pale. Dunno if it's 'cause of the sewer or the fact we never get any sun."

Rina smiled at her brother in orange. He always seemed to know how to put her in better spirits. "You just going to lie here all day with me?" She asked. "Or you gonna show Brandt around?"

"I might show Young Gun around," Mikey chuckled. "If he ever slows down."

"But I thought you were the fastest of us?" Rina goaded. "If Brandt can outrun you, then what good are you?"

Mikey gasped playfully. "That hurt - right here," he said, placing a hand over his heart dramatically. "'Sides, I think Fearless Leader wants to show him around - yanno, so they can bond some - "

"Before he realizes Leo's the boss and likes for his orders to be followed precisely," Rina finished for him.

Mikey raised his eye ridges. "I think you've been around Marie much too long," he teased.

Rina shrugged, quickly changing the subject - she was still pretty peeved with her sister and her foolishness. "If I fall asleep, wake me when it's time to eat," she said softly, lying her head down upon her arms.

"Sure thing, Kiddo," Mikey nodded, rolling onto his side and reaching over to rub her shell comfortingly. "Just relax. I'm not goin' anywhere."

Rina peeked out at him a little, to give him a grateful smile.

Leo came outside then, laughing as he saw Rembrandt running about trying to explore everything at once. "Brandt!" He called out. "C'mon! I'll give you a tour of the place!"

"Sweet!" Rembrandt exclaimed, hurrying over to where Leo stood. "Can we check out over there first?" He asked, pointing to the back field that hadn't been plowed in years, and had extremely tall grass - a great place to play hide 'n' seek.

"Sure thing," Leo smiled, draping his arm over the young boy's shoulders and leading him that way.

Raphael finally got Marie up and into the house so Donnie could give her a once over.

The turtle in purple glanced sideways out of the corner of his eye at his rebellious sister as she came into the living room. He was busy dusting aka being his usual uber-useful self. "What do you want, Marie?" He asked with a sigh.

Raphael pushed her forward and she tossed a glare at him over her shoulder. "Go on," he said, nodding his head.

Marie nudged her foot against the floor and then looked up at Donnie, "Raph says that you need to look at my legs."

"Why?' Donnie asked but then he spotted the slightly raised red marks. He narrowed his eyes and pointed towards the couch, "Sit down."

Donnie tossed a look over at Raph, "Did she tell you anything about these?"

"Just saw 'em," replied Raphael as he stood over in the corner near the fire place. He blew a breath across the mantel, "Are you dusting or just pushing it around?"

"At least I'm doing something," said Donnie as he looked down at Marie's legs. "How did this happen?" He asked, gently laying a finger against the welts.

"That doctor…" she started and Donnie let out a sigh. Leo had mentioned something about Marie's legs before he had left the kitchen but Donnie had been busy finding cleaning supplies. He gave a nod, "Well, it's not as bad as it could have been. Couch, now."

Marie groaned, "But Donnie."

"Marie, either you let me wrap that up the easy way or Raphael knocks you out and we do it while you're unconscious. Personally, the healthier way is to just let me do it."

"Fine, fine," Marie said, lying down on the couch. While Donnie wrapped her legs up with some bandages he had found in the closet, Marie bit her lip and tried not the cry out. Raphael stood there with his arms crossed; Marie was just glad he stayed.

Afterwards, Donnie gave her a smile and patted her arm, "How about you just stay on the couch for a little while? Make Raph stay with you or something."

Marie nodded and looked over at Raphael hopefully. Her legs were aching so much that she didn't feel like moving very much. She wanted Raph to stay though. However, Master Splinter chose that time to appear in the doorway.

"I wish to speak to Marietta. Alone."

Donatello gave a small bow and left.

Raphael hung around until Master Splinter stared hard at him. He gave Marie's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and walked out of the room.

When the boys had left, Master Splinter walked over to the couch and shook his head at Marietta, "I am disappointed with you, my daughter." She dropped her eyes and didn't look up at him. "I am glad that you and your siblings are safe, but you needlessly put everyone in danger to pursue your own desires," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Leonardo and Rembrandt were out in the field, playing a game of hide and seek. Leonardo had suggested it and Rembrandt had jumped on it, ready to do anything that dealt with being outside and performing ninjitsu. Rembrandt actually wasn't half bad; he was very quiet and he could learn quickly. Leo had high hopes for him. However, Leo was a trained ninja and he could easily tell where the younger boy was. He snuck up on Rembrandt and poked him in the shoulder without him even noticing someone was coming.

"Aagh!" Rembrandt cried, jumping up and swatting at Leonardo.

Leo laughed and fended off the attacks.

"Man, how do you do that?" Brandt asked, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't think I'll ever be that good."

"Sure you will, we all had to start somewhere," Leo said reassuringly.

Rembrandt grinned, "Then I'm gonna be the best ninja ever!"

Leo chuckled. "Well, I'm not so sure about that," he told the boy. "Can't have you out shine me, now can we?"

Rembrandt laughed. "Sure we can!" He exclaimed, quickly darting off when he realized Leo was about to give chase. He ran fast as he could, but he wasn't fast enough - least, not faster than his ninja brother.

Leo playfully tackled the boy, knocking him to the ground and tickling his sides mercilessly. Rembrandts squeals of laughter could be heard by everyone outside of the house - which was where everyone but Marie and Master Splinter were.

Raph smirked at Donnie. "I see the boy's taught Leo how to play," he commented.

Donnie smiled in return. "Sounds like it - but it's good to see."

"Hear is more like it," Raph stated. "Good to know we've made the kid happy."

Donnie nodded his agreement. He too was glad they were able to help Rembrandt find happiness - they all were, to be honest. It was then they spotted Mikey and Rina lying in the grass.

"How's she doin'?" Donnie demanded, as him and Raph walked over to where they were.

"She's fine, Donnie," Mikey replied. "She's mostly just tired, though she'd a slight dizzy spell earlier."

"Dizzy?!" Donnie repeated, looking ready to carry her on inside.

"Relax, she shook her head too fast," Mikey stated. "Just let her lie in the sun for a bit - you know it always makes us feel better when we're sick."

Donnie sighed heavily. "I just don't want anything to happen to her."

"Neither do we," Raph said, placing his hand on his brainy brother's shoulder. "But Mikey's got a point - some sun might just do her some good."

"So what brings you guys out here?" Mikey asked, curious, as he'd seen Raph practically drag Marie inside.

"Sensei's having a talk with Marie," Donnie answered, shaking his head. "I think I'm still in disbelief about last night. I mean - how? Why? What was she thinking?"

"That she had to protect her family, from the Bastard that hurt her and Rina when they were lil'," Raph piped up. "Don't mean I agree with it - but I can understand part of it. Us hot-heads think a like at times, after all."

Meanwhile, back inside, Marie's head was still hung as Master Splinter waited for her to reply.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," she whispered softly after a few minutes of silence - she'd had to control her unwanted tears that were threatening to fall. "I didn't mean for anybody to get hurt. I just - I couldn't let that son of a bitch come after us again! I just couldn't!" She growled, as her anger began to surface once more.

"Marietta, you must learn to control your temper, or it will be your downfall," Master Splinter stated. "It almost was last night, had we not gotten there in time and had the help of Ms. Karai."

"I was doin' just fine in handlin' things," Marie grumbled, thinking of how she'd saved her favourite brother from those mad scientists. "Then Leo just had to come 'long an' steal my vengeance."

"Marietta!" Master Splinter snapped, his tail swishing in annoyance. "Have I not taught you anything over the years? Have you forgotten your honor? Your family?!"

Marie shrunk some. "No....." She trailed off. "I just - I was mad. Madder than I'd ever been! He deserved what he got, the Bastard!"

"And did your sister and brothers deserve what they got because of your actions?" Master Splinter countered.

"No...." Marie replied softly. "They didn't do nothin' wrong."

Master Splinter sighed, not sure how to get through to the young one. "Marietta, you shall be grounded while we are here, which means no movie nights or video games," Master Splinter began. "Also, until you have figured things out and are able to control your temper better, I shall be taking your sai and manikiri from you, until you have managed to restore your honor."

Marie's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. Her sai!?!?!

"Yeah, like we didn't already know that," said Mikey, grinning up at Raphael. The turtle in red rolled his eyes and nudged his little brother with his foot. "No poking!" Mikey announced.

"No yellin'," mumbled Rina as she raised her head from her arms. She tossed Mikey a lop-sided grin, "I mean, could you guys be any louder?"

"Yeah, actually, we could," Mikey replied but both Raphael and Donatello glared down at him. "Not that I was gonna be!" he said, waving his hands innocently.

Donatello rolled his eyes and knelt down next to Rina. "How you feeling?" he asked, putting his hand on her forehead. She made a face and batted at his hand.

"Donnie, I'm not dying," she complained and then regretted it when her brother's face went hard. "I mean…I'm okay, I swear."

"I know, I'm just…worried," he said.

Rina sat up so that she was on the same level as he was and put her hands on his knees. "Donnie. I one-rat double-dog triple-cat four-hamsters five-cockatiels and six-turtles promise you that I am going to be perfectly fine! So stop worrying!" It was one of those promises they had all made up when they were younger.

Raphael smirked and rolled his eyes, "That's a powerful swear there, Cat."

"And I mean it," she said, sticking her tongue out at Raphael.

Raphael made a face, "Rina, do you remember the last time you stuck your tongue out at me?"

"You can't grab my tongue right now Raph, I might faint," she said, grinning evilly.

"Oh-ho! I taught my young padawan well!" Mikey said, smiling brightly at Rina as Leonardo and Rembrandt walked up.

Rina turned to look at Rembrandt, "Having fun?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, punching the air happily, "I'm gonna be a better ninja than Leo!"

There was a moment's pause before everyone started laughing.

"Haha, are you serious, kid?" Raphael laughed, shaking his head back and forth.

"That's not exactly plausible," chuckled Donnie.

Rina smiled at Rembrandt, who was looking a little disheartened, "I think you could do it."

"Thanks, Rina," Rembrandt said, raising his head proudly.

"You're just saying that to make him feel better," said Raphael.

"Oh, I feel a headache coming on! Raph, nooo, your annoying voice is giving me a headache in my weakened state," Rina said, putting her hands to the side of her head.

"Rina! I outta!" Raphael said, making a fist out of his hand.

Leonardo grabbed his fist and thrust his arm down. "Don't touch her," Leo said and then turned to Rina, "Don't provoke him or we'll stick you back inside."

Rina only grinned back in reply.

Oh, man, but those were her favorites! Why couldn't sensei just take her manikiri? Not her sai.

"But how will I practice?" She asked as she hesitantly reached for the weapons.

"You will not be able to practice much with your legs wrapped," Master Splinter said, motioning to her legs. "You may practice with Rembrandt for now."

Marie lowered her head and almost didn't hand him the weapons. Finally, she handed him her manikiri chains and her beloved sai.

"Thank you, Marietta. I am certain you will earn these back quickly," he said, patting her on the arm after putting the weapons in his robe pockets. "Shall I send someone back in to keep you company?" He asked as he walked towards the doorway.

"Yes, please," Marie said, sounding a bit defeated. She hated to be without her sai.

Master Splinter nodded and went over to the doorway. "Raphael, would you come in here?" He called and the turtle in red was immediately at the doorway.

"Yeah Sensei?" he asked.

"Could you come in and keep Marie company? She is not in any shape to leave the couch," said Master Splinter.

Raphael nodded, "Sure, whatever ya want, Master Splinter." He walked through the kitchen and came into the living room.

"Hey, Marie," he said as he looked down at his kid sister. She looked depressed, as if someone had taken away her best friend. "What, cat got your tongue?" He asked, sitting down on one end of the couch.

"No, I don't think Rina likes touching tongues," she replied wittily and Raphael smirked.

"Smart ass," he said.

"Got it from you," she said, playing with the fringe on one of the pillow. She wasn't happy at all, to tell the truth. Everyone seemed set on lecturing her lately, as if she wasn't beating herself up enough.

After a while, Marie said quietly, "Sensei took my sai and my manikiri."

"At least you've still got your shuriken," he replied, putting his feet up on a footstool.

"Pssh, like those'll do me much good," she grumbled, folding her arms over her plastron.

Raphael shrugged. "Never let me down before," he said, countering her bad mood.

Marie sighed, "Yeah, but I like the sai."

"Did Sensei say you can earn them back?" he asked.

"Yeah…" Marie said.

"Then you can earn them back," Raphael said, nodding his head, "I've done it before, so you can too."

"Sensei took your sai away?" she asked, eyes widening. She couldn't imagine Raph without his sai.

He nodded, "Yeah, the same ones he took from you. I got into one too many scraps and he said I'd have to prove I deserved them." He took one of his current sai out of his belt and twirled them. "But, as yah can see, I got ‘em back. And you can too, I got faith in yah."

Marie looked up at her brother in red hopefully. "Really?" She asked softly.

"Sure thing, Kid," Raph nodded, still twirling his sai.

Marie smiled a bit then, feeling a little better - if Raph had faith in her, then she had to have faith in herself. He wouldn't have faith in just anybody. She eyed him a moment, before daring to maneuver enough to be able to lean against him. Carefully avoiding his spinning sai, she leaned against her brother, her legs still out-stretched on the couch.

"Thanks," she said quietly, glancing up at him.

Raph switched hands, and kept twirling his sai, as he placed his now free arm around her and over her plastron. "Any time, Runt," he replied, giving her a hint of a smile.

Marie smiled back, snuggling in as much as she could without causing her legs anymore pain. "Remind me to get Donnie to check where I got stabbed with a scalpel later," she told him.

"Damn Squirt, any other injuries we oughta know 'bout?" Raph stated, shaking his head.

"Nope, that's 'bout it," Marie assured him. "An' next time, protect yerself."

Raph slapped her side gently, his arm still draped across her; he knew she'd do it again in a heartbeat if she had too. "There ain't gonna be no next time, yah hear?"

"I hear," Marie answered - and boy, did she ever.

Back outside, the rest of the turtle clan was lazing about in the yard, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the grass beneath them.

"How long do you think we'll be out here this time?" Rina questioned, now propped up enough to lean against Mikey a little - though, both were still basically lying on the ground.

Leo shrugged. "I don't know. It's up to Sensei when we go back," he replied, then smiled teasingly. "Why? You in a hurry to go back all ready?"

"No!" Rina cried. "We just got here! If I'd my way, we'd never go home."

"Yeah, well, we can't just let The Foot over run the city," Leo commented.

"I thought you were negotiating with Karai?" Rina said, looking confused.

"We are," Leo nodded. "But until we've reached an agreement, we still have to protect the city from them."

Rina groaned, draping an arm across her forehead. "Why can't some other super hero do the job for a change?" She sighed. "I mean, can't Silver Century and Nobody handle it? Yeesh! The city don't even know we exist, and yet they're so demanding of us."

"Spoken like a true fifteen-year-old," Donnie smiled. "We used to ask that too. But if we don't protect the city, then what are we to do with all our time?"

"Relax," Rina replied simply. "Become farmers and move into April's farm house for good."

"Play games!" Rembrandt exclaimed happily.

Donnie shook his head. "I'm afraid it would get old after a while, and we probably wouldn't appreciate it as much as we do now. This is a luxury that we can not afford to have all the time. We need a purpose, and back home has it."

Rina sighed heavily. "Well, I wish we'd come here more often at least," she replied. "You guys all actually know how to have fun here. And Raph and Marie aren't so cranky when they're out here, exploring the woods and everything. And Leo - you're not so bossy! And you play games!"

Leo chuckled. "I play games with you back home too - I've just got more responsibility back in New York."

"I hate responsibility!" Rina whined. "I need a break from it!"

"Hello! What's this?" Mikey laughed. "Vacation, in a nut shell - or should I say, turtle shell."

"Yeah...until Sensei makes us all practice again," Rina pointed out. "Though, that is more fun to do out here."

"I think we're gonna hafta stay here a long while," Rembrandt grinned. "So you guys can show me everything, so I'll know what it is for future reference."

They all laughed, as the turtle in grey grinned wide midst pulling up a few blades of grass to rub between his fingers.

A few days later and the turtle clan was back to fighting order. Rina had regained her strength and now really swatted Donatello when he tried to check on her. The last time he had tried to check her temperature had ended up in a wrestling match. Marie was back to sparring with Rina and her brothers though no one was using weapons against her since she didn't have any. She was ready to get those back but she had yet to prove herself to Master Splinter. She had no idea what she'd have to do to get them back, but Raphael said that she would eventually so she believed him.

"Leo, catch!" yelled Michelangelo, launching a football at his older brother's head.

The leader of the ninja turtles reached out and grabbed the football before quickly backpedaling to escape Rembrandt. The turtle in grey had turned out to be a fierce and admirable football player after Raphael had sat him down and explained the game. The sun was going down and it was in Leo's eyes as he headed towards the goal. He launched forward but he could see someone coming up beside him out of the corner of his eye.

"HAHAH!" Raphael laughed as he rushed alongside Leonardo.

"No tackling, Raph, it's tag football!" Rina yelled but a second later Marie had crashed into her, sending them both to the ground.

"Take that, Rina!" Marie yelled as she scrambled up from the ground.

Rina rolled her eyes as she jumped up and took off after her. Rina had forgiven Marietta, chalking the incident up as yet another idiotic thing her sister had done. Hopefully the other girl would take it as a hint not to do anything quite that dangerous for a while. It obviously wasn't good for anyone.

Rina, Leo, Casey, and Mikey were a team while Marie, Don, Brandt, and Raphael made up the other one. It was evenly matched for the most part. Don and Marie launched themselves at Leo but he tossed the football to Casey.

"Goongala!" shouted the overactive human as he ran up the yard, charging past Raphael as the turtle in red tried to take him out.

"Rina! You're up!" he shouted, and the girl ran forward, took a massive jump, landed on Mikey's shoulders and launched herself from there. Casey threw her the football and she soared over Raphael's head as he crashed into Casey.

Rina landed in their in-zone and threw the football to the ground, "BOO-YOW! WOOT!" She did a victory dance while Mikey shot his fist into the air.

"Darn it…" Marie grumbled as the other team danced around and cheered each other on, "I thought we had it."

"I guess we need to work on our team work," Donatello said, watching Casey grab Rina and spin her around before beginning to taunt Raphael.

"Haha, take THAT, yah shell-head!" the big human said.

"Shell head? At least I don't have oil for brains, yah grease monkey!" yelled Raphael, shoving the man.

Casey shoved back and it soon turned into a mini-battle on the lawn.

"Guys, dinner!" April announced as she hung her head out the door.

As usual, Rembrandt was the first one heading inside; they all doubted that his appetite would ever be sated. Marie and Rina followed afterward, the football tucked under Rina's arm.

"Good game, Marie," Rina said, grinning at her sister.

"You too," replied Marie.

"I'm guessing you an' Raph planned that tag-team tackle?" Rina ribbed, nudging her sister with the football.

"Yah better believe it!" Marie grinned. She was glad to be able to mess around with her favourite brother again - heck, with all her brothers, and her sister of course. She draped her arm over Rina's shoulders as they entered the kitchen. "An' next time, y'all are goin' down!" She exclaimed with a wicked grin. "'Cause we'll have a secret weapon!"

"Donnie or Brandt?" Rina asked with a laugh, as the two sat down next to one another - Rembrandt having had already taken a seat and dug in.

Marie shrugged. "You'll never know," she smiled, reaching over to grab the tatter tots she so loved.

The older turtles came crashing in, along with Casey then, all clambering about and fighting over chairs.

"Move it!" Raph snarled, when Mikey had sat next to Marie. "Yer in my spot, Mikey!"

"Oh, this is your spot now?" Mikey teased. "I don't see your name on it?"

"Turn the chair around," Marie smirked, as she bit into a tatter tot.

Mikey stood up and turned the chair around, his jaw dropping upon finding Raphael's name carved into the back of the chair. "April! Raph defaced your chair!" He exclaimed.

April looked up, her eyes narrowing. "Raphael, what did you do to my furniture?" She demanded.

Raph shrugged and twirled the chair around. "May be my name, but I sure as Hell didn't do it."

Leo frowned. "Well, it sure looks like a sai was used," he commented. "And you're the only one with a pair right now."

"Don't mean they weren't 'borrowed' for a short while earlier," Raph commented, twirling his chair back around to take his seat next to Marie.

"Mae-Mae, you didn't!" Rina gasped somewhat, though she was trying her best to keep from laughing.

Marie gave an innocent shrug. "I say it was a ghost turtle, who managed to get her hands on a sai for a lil' bit, so they could stake claim on someone."

April shook her head. "Between the two of you, I don't think anything stands a chance around here," she said with a sigh. "Antique chairs too...."

"Marietta...." Master Splinter began, raising his brows.

"Ghost turtle! It was a ghost turtle!" Marie cried, holding her hands up in innocence. She didn't dare mention she'd been the one under the white sheet, holding Raph's one sai as his name was carved into the back of the chair.

"This is great food!" Rembrandt enthused then. "Man, I could eat this stuff forever!"

"And you shall, my child," Master Splinter nodded, his attention now off Marie - who flashed her youngest brother a grateful smile.

Rembrandt winked, and kept on inhaling his food as quick as he could, never seeming satisfied until he was completely stuffed.

"I say we play football again, after supper," Rina suggested. "Since movie nights are still out for a while, for some of us. Besides, I'm sure the losing team wants a re-match."

"Damn straight we do," Raph muttered, digging into his dinner. "Y'all planned that move - cheaters."

"We don't cheat!" Rina argued, taking the bait.

"Sure yah do! Yah got Leo on your team!" Raph stated. "Fearless knows how to plan things!"

"Gee, thanks Raph," Donnie said dryly, flicking a tatter tot as his brother in red.

Raph glared, then flicked one back.

"My sons...." Master Splinter began, only to have a full-fledged food fight suddenly break out.

Donnie flicked food back at Raph, who threw some in return, thus hitting Mikey, who was quick to join in. Only, he hit Rina, who whipped some food at his head, only to hit Leo who shrugged and joined in. Shortly afterwards, Casey couldn't resist - especially not after having been hit; and of course Marie started up once Raph informed her she was on his team.

April eyed Master Splinter, shaking her head. "They forget they'll be cleaning all this up," she smiled.

Master Splinter chuckled, as the two of them sat at their end of the table sipping their tea. And Rembrandt - he joined in after eating another plateful, as he was hungry from all the running around he had done playing football.

"Okay, I totally blame Donnie for this," said Mikey, waving his cleaning rag at his brother in purple.

Donnie grabbed the rag and tossed it back at Mikey, "Raphael retaliated!"

"Yeah, but you started it, brainiac," replied Raphael as he leaned against the counter, not being useful at all.

"How come if you retaliate, it's not your fault, but if anyone else strikes back, it is?" Donnie asked in a pondering tone as he swiped his mop across the floor, bumping it into Marie who was scrubbing the floor.

Marie tossed a glare up at him and jiggled the mop, "Watch where you're shoving this thing."

Donnie smirked and bopped her with the rag part again.

"Ugh, Donnie, it's wet!" she whined, brushing at her leg, "And dirty! Ew!"

"Don't whine, Marie," Raphael said, nudging her with his foot.

"Uck! Don't touch me with your foot, that's so gross!" yelled Marie, trying to punch his foot with her hand.

"Punch me and feel the pain, kid," Raphael growled good-naturedly as he stuck his foot in her face.

"Raph!" Marie shrieked, jumping up to attack him better.

"Watch it, small fry!” said Raphael as he avoided her attacks.

"Guys, don't fight!" Rembrandt said as they battled through where he was trying to scrape ketchup off the wall.

"Raphael, let go of Marie's bandanna!" Donnie said, following them into the living room as the battle escalated.

Leonardo tossed a smirk towards Mikey and Rina who were busy scrubbing the table. "And they wonder why we always win at football," he said, shaking his head.

Rina grinned as she twirled her rag about her head, "Team work! Woot!"

"Yeah, and special weapon Casey Jones!" Casey put in from where he was drying dishes.

Mikey nodded and struck a victorious pose, "We will not be defeated! BOO YOW!"

Rembrandt rolled his eyes, "Yeah, mhmm."

Rina grinned as she spun her towel around and then popped him with it.

"Ow! What was that for?" He demanded, rubbing his arm where the towel had hit him.

"For doubting the awesome power of Team Totally Terrific," she replied before going back to scrubbing.

Rembrandt spun his own towel around and tried to pop her but she used her own towel to deflect his. "Darn ninja reflexes," he exclaimed, trying to get around her attacks.

"Keep practicing and you'll be able to beat her," Leonardo said. As if to emphasis his point, he turned around with his own towel, soaking wet from washing dishes, and popped Rina with it.

"Ow! Leo!" She yelped, frowning at him.

"Ah-ah-ah, Rina, the members of Team Totally Terrific don't fight with each other," Mikey said before she retaliated.

Rina rolled her eyes and tossed her rag in the sink, "Are we done yet?"

"YESS!!" Marie shouted as she ran past her and out the door, Raphael following right behind her, arms outstretched.

"I'm gonna pound ya, Marie! Just you wait!" Raphael yelled, waving a fist in the air.

"Game time!" Mikey exclaimed, jumping up and snatching the football from the counter.

"Hell yeah!" Casey said, following after the others and pumping the air.

Before Leo knew it, Rina, Rembrandt, and Donnie had also run out the door. "Hey, wait for me!" Leo said, pulling the plug out of the drain to let the water go down.

Upon running outside, Leo laughed as he discovered Raphael and Marietta wrestling on the ground. Marie's legs were still a bit tender, but for the most part she ignored the pain and the annoying bandages on them.

"Raph!" Marie shrieked, trying to get him off her - her legs kicking and her fists flying wildly. "Get offa me!"

"Are yah gonna stop hittin' me?" Raph challenged, as he pinned her wrists together in one hand.

"Leo!" Marie yelled. "He's crushin' me!"

"Oh, so now you need Fearless' help, huh?" Raph smirked. "So you've accepted that you just ain't strong 'nough yet?"

Marie growled, as Leo replied, "Sorry. You brought it on yourself, Kiddo."

"Oh! I hate you!" Marie screeched, though she didn't see Leo pause.

Was this why his sister in purple and yellow never wanted to be near him, unless she was sick? Did she truly hate him? He shrugged it off, as he heard Rina's yell.

"C'mon! Let's play all ready!"

"Yeah!" Rembrandt yelled out in agreement. "We're gonna kick yer shells this time!"

"Ha! Fat chance!" Mikey laughed, grabbing the ball from the younger boy - who had stolen it from Rina. "What, with those two so busy wrestling, y'all will never come up with a good plan."

"Shaddup!" Raph and Marie both roared, pausing their wrestling match long enough to glare at their brother in orange.

"Oooh! Testy!" Mikey grinned. "C'mon hot-heads! Let's see whatcha got!"

Raph and Marie eyed one another briefly, before both jumping up and charging after Michaelangelo. Moments later, they'd tackled Mikey to the ground and both were sitting on him - Raph on his plastron and Marie on his legs, as she tickled his feet.

"Take that back!" They both ordered.

"Help!" Mikey shrieked, laughing as he kicked his legs a bit, as his feet were tickled. "Rina! Leo! Ahhh hahaha!"

Casey smirked. "Well, who knew - they can work together."

Rina laughed, then quickly ran over and tackled her sister to the ground - soon, the two of them were rolling about in the grass - laughing more than they were wrestling.

Donnie shook his head. "Those two - ever since they were little kids," he began. "They'd tackle each other and roll around, never really throwing any punches."

"Not unless one was mad," Leo chuckled, going over and rescuing Mikey from Raphael. "C'mon guys! We've a game to play, before it's time to head on in."

"I say we have a camp out!" Rina shrieked, as Marie flipped her over and onto her back before standing up. Rina tripped her sister, then got up laughing and ran over to where Donnie was. "It'd be fun! Besides, Brandt's never been camping!"

"Maybe we can convince Sensei to let us go out later this week," Donnie smiled, draping an arm over his sister's shoulders. "I'm sure we could manage to convince April to get us stuff for s'mores."

"Sweetness!" Rina exclaimed, grabbing up the ball from where Mikey had dropped it. "Now, C'MON! I wanna play already!"

Eventually, everyone was finished wrestling and they once more began to play some football. Raph's team deciding to use Donnie as their secret weapon, as if they used Brandt the other team would be expecting it.

At the end of the week, Marietta and Catarina were sitting in the swing on the front porch, watching the sun go down behind the treetops. They were kicking their legs back and forth to get the swing going, the gentle swoosh motion creating a passive atmosphere.

"I can't believe we're going back tonight," said Marie, flicking a piece of paint off the arm of the swing.

Rina let out a sigh and leaned back in the side. "I know, it seems like we just got here," she said, a small smile coming to her face, "And I don't even remember when we got here."

"That's ‘cause you were conked out in Donnie's lap," said Marie, smirking at her sister.

Rina tossed her head. "Hey, back off, I was unconscious with good reason," she said, running her fingers along the newly installed chains. She snorted as she tugged on the chains, "I can remember when Casey put these in. His fat butt broke them the first time we were here."

Marie made a face, "I wasn't here for that." She stared down at the floor, not really wanting to remember that time.

Rina looked out towards fields. The first time that they had come to the farm house, Marietta and Master Splinter had been captured by the Foot Ninjas that had broken into their lair after the guys had met April. Rina had narrowly escaped by hiding under the bunk beds, but Marie had been out in the sewers, playing with her skateboard. Rina shook her head and tossed a smile at her sister.

"But hey, when we get back, maybe you'll have a chance to get your sai back, right?" she said encouragingly.

Marie smiled brightly. "You bet I will. I'll show Sensei that I'm the most honorable ninja there is!"

Rina laughed and nudged her sister with her shoulder, "Hey, don't get overzealous there, Marie. Don't want you becoming a mini-Leo."

"Oh, hell no, no mini-Leo for me," Marie said, scrunching her beak up in distaste, "I think we'll leave that to Rembrandt."

"What about me?" Rembrandt asked, hanging out the door.

"Oh, we were just talking about how you're the most wonderful new brother we could have ever asked for," said Rina, laying on her sickly sweet talk.

Rembrandt rolled his eyes as he walked onto the porch. "Yeah. Sure," he said as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his plastron. He let out a contented sigh and shoved a random patch of black hair out of his eyes. "So, we go back home from here, right?" He asked, looking over at the two of them.

Marie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, back to the dirt and grime and nastiness of the sewers."

"It's not that…no, you're right, it's definitely that bad," said Rina, putting her chin on the tops of her knees.

"But when we get back, I really get to start my training!" Rembrandt exclaimed excitedly, "I might even get a weapon."

The girls looked at each other.

"Great, you really are a mini-Leo," said Rina, rolling her eyes.

"Just what we need, two of them running around," put in Marie with a labored sigh.

The three of them were still out in the porch when the older four walked up. They had been having a small training session by themselves.

"Heya, brat pack, whatcha up to?" Mikey asked as he bounded onto the porch.

"Nothing much," said Rembrandt, pressing his toes against the floorboards.

"What's with all the long faces?" asked Donnie, leaning against his bo.

"Do we have to go?" asked Rina, assuming the puppy dog face.

"Oh-ho, that's not going to work this time," Raphael said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, we know, responsibility and crap like that," Marie put in leaning forward and putting her elbows to her knees.

Leonardo smiled and said, "Yeah, something like that."

"Hey, Mikey!" Rina said, looking over at her brother in orange.

"Mmhmm?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Did anyone feed Klunk when we left?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Mikey's eyes went wide and then he let out a yell, "GET IN THE CAR! KLLLUNK!!" He tore into the house while the others watched him.

"Mikey, the cat's fine!" Donnie said as he followed his panicked brother inside.

Rina rolled her eyes and got up as well, "He can probably hunt right? I mean, he's not totally pathetic!"

"My KLUNK!"

"We have a cat?" asked Rembrandt before walking inside.

"Hey, I wanna save Klunk too!" Marie yelled as she ran through the door.

Raphael shook his head and grumbled as he walked up the stairs, "Stupid cat."

Left alone on the porch, Leo smiled and put a hand against one of the columns. Sure, his family was loud and random and a little dysfunctional but it was his family. He wouldn't trade it for any other in the world.

"Leonardo! Mikey's tearing my house apart! Stop him right now!" April shouted as she flung the door open.

Leo rolled his eyes and walked inside. Well…maybe he'd trade some family members…