"Donnie?"

"Yeah, Lana?"

"Where are my parents?"

Donatello practically choked on his bagel. "What?"

"Where are my parents?" Lana repeated. "What happened to them? Why'd they give me up? How'd I wind up here?"

Donatello sighed, then patted his lap. "Come here, Honey."

Lana went over and sat in his lap at the kitchen table. Once she was settled she looked up at Donatello expectantly.

"Kiddo, there's no easy way to say this," Donatello began. "But your family is in Heaven."

"Heaven?" Lana said confused. "Why?"

"They were killed," Donatello stated softly.

"How?"

Donatello looked quite uncomfortable then.

"Donnie?"

"Lana, I'd always hoped you'd never ask these questions, but knew that some day you eventually would. I'm wishing today wasn't that day."

"Why? What happened?"

"Honey, they...they were...murdered," Donatello told her gently. "I'm sorry."

Lana sat there staring at him blankly as though she hadn't heard him.

"Lana?"

"NO!" She burst out suddenly. "THEY'RE ALIVE! I KNOW THEY ARE! YOU LIE!"

"Sweetie, I wouldn't lie about something like that," Donatello replicated, with a pained look on his face. "Never. Especially to you."

Lana slid out of his lap. "NO! I HATE YOU! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY ARE!"

"Lana!" Donatello cried, as she raced out of the kitchen, then out of the lair.

"Argh! Dammit!" Donatello shouted pounding his fist on the table.

"What's wrong Donnie?" Leonardo asked entering the kitchen. "Why'd Lana run out of here all upset?"

"She asked about her parents, Leo," Donatello snapped. "I told her the truth and she doesn't believe me."

"Oh," Leonardo acknowledged.

Donatello waited a bit, figuring he'd let her cool off some, then went out to look for her. In the end, he ended up coming home, and asking his brothers to help him search. After three hours of nothing, Donatello figured she'd run away for real this time.

"I give up," He said plopping down on the couch, and burying his head in his hands. "I should've known she wasn't old enough to be told and would react like this."

"Donnie, it's not like you could've just changed the subject," Raphael told him. "There's no way in hell she'd drop the damn subject."

"Besides," Leonardo added, "you couldn't just lie to her."

"Yeah, but now I've no idea as to where she is," Donatello mumbled. "For all I know she could already be in another state already."

"Um...guys." Michaelangelo began. "I'm gonna go give the sewer one last look, okay?"

"Whatever," Donatello replied with a wave of his hand. "Do what you want Mikey."

Michaelangelo shrugged slightly, then headed off for her secret spot. He found it and quietly entered, keeping silent as he heard crying.

Lana froze as she heard footsteps approaching. She curled up into an even tighter ball, and whimpered slightly from fear.

"Lana?"

Lana let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding when she heard Michaelangelo's voice. She watched silently as Michaelangelo came over and sat down next to her.

"Care to talk about it?" He asked.

"He's lying. Please, tell me he's lying," she begged through tears. "They.they can't be dead. They just can't be!"

Michaelangelo sighed and pulled her into his lap.

"Lana, as much as I'd love to tell you Donnie's lying and that you're parents are alive, I'm afraid I can't. What Donnie said was all true. They were murdered. You were only two at the time, and lived in Brooklyn."

"Then how did I get here?" Lana questioned. "How did I wind up with you guys?"

"No one's sure how you got here," Michaelangelo told her. "But as for how you came to live with us, well, Donnie found you wandering around Central Park. He realized you were lost and brought you home with him. After a few days of searching we discovered that your family was the one that'd been murdered in Brooklyn."

"Mikey?"

"Yeah?"

"Whose April?"

"Um. I think you'd best leave that one up to one of the other guys," Michaelangelo said, as he suddenly drifted off into space, and thought, Why April? Why? Why'd you do it? Was it to boost your career? Or was it just out of spite 'cause Donnie wouldn't let you have your way? Why?

"Mikey?" Lana spoke interrupting his thoughts.

"Hmm...yeah?"

"Is Donnie mad?"

"No. He's just hurt," Michaelangelo shrugged.

"He is? Why?"

"Lana, not only did you not believe him, but, you told him you hated him when all he did was answer your question truthfully," Michaelangelo replied. "I think anybody would be hurt by those words, even Raph."

Lana looked back down again. "Oh."

"Fave word?" Mikey asked with a slight grin.

"Wha?" Lana looked at him confused, then let out a small laugh. "Oh.yeah."

Mikey shook his head at her but still kept his little grin.

Lana snuggled into him as she was getting cold and wanted what little warmth he could give. They sat there for a few moments longer, before Michaelangelo stood up with her in his arms.

"C'mon Munchkin," he said. "Let's get home before we freeze."

"It's not always this cold," Lana stated as they exited the hideout. "It's usually nice and warm in there."

"But you're not only in your pajamas then, are you?" Michaelangelo rejoined. "Normally you have warmer clothes on."

Lana giggled. "Yeah, I usually do."

They finally reached the lair, where they were met by three solemn looking faces.

"What's wrong Bro?" Michaelangelo asked Raphael.

Raphael snorted and looked away from them disgustedly.

"What?" Michaelangelo repeated. "What's going on?"

"Mikey, there's something we have to tell you," Leonardo said.

Michaelangelo looked at them questioningly.

"She's back," was all Donatello said to make Michaelangelo lose his grin.

Lana, who was still in her hero's arms, watched as he paled.

"Whose back?" She queried.

"Are...are you sure?"

"Yep," Raph snorted. "Saw the bitch myself."

"W...why?" Michaelangelo questioned, praying for any answer but the one he was thinking.

"Whose back?" Lana asked again.

His brothers immediately looked to Donatello, who looked at Michaelangelo with sympathy.

"N...No."

"Afraid so, Mikey," Donatello said.

"Whose back?" Lana wanted to know, hating the fact she was being ignored.

"She...she wouldn't, would she?"

"Mike, she knows exactly where the damn lair is," Raphael snapped. "Damn straight she would. She'd be pretty damn stupid not to even try. And knowing that bitch, she'll do anything to get her way."

Michaelangelo glanced down at the eleven-year-old girl in his arms, and felt his eyes fill up with tears, along with a sudden urge to protect her more now than ever. He looked to his brothers, fear evident in his usually bright eyes, and a troubled look plastered on his face.

"Whose back?" Lana whined somewhat.

Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael all looked back at Michaelangelo, sharing the same look, before casting their gaze from him to one another all thinking the same thing: Not again.