Ninja Turtles 1. Chapter 1

On one late night, somewhere around one in the morning, the auburned-haired girl Roselia sat on the couch in the living room in her friends the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' sewer home.

She's lived with them ever since they found her on her own one day and they've grown to see her as a sister and a mother. And their rat master Splinter treated her as his first daughter and taught her ninjitsu so she could defend herself and help the Turtles in any way she could.

For two years, Staying with them was the best thing that happened to her in her life. Roselia was happy being with the Turtles and rat father whom she loved very much, especially Leonardo. At first, they were each other's best friends, but after a year, they started to care for each other more than usual. And when Leo departed for South America, their bond grew even stronger. Over there in the jungle, he would look her pink pendant that she had given him as a good luck and she would look forward to his letters.

One day, when Leo's training period came to an end, he never came back and he stopped writing. He wanted to be strong for his family, especially Roselia.

This hurt Roselia dearly because she missed him more than anyone, but she tried to be strong for their family in New York.

Finally, he came back one night and after seeing his brothers and sensei, he went into Roselia's room. When she awoke, she was overjoyed at first, then hit him with her pillow, reprimanding him for not writing or coming back after a long year. When he realized how much he hurt her, he apologized and vowed he would never do that again and they reconciled.

After another year passed, they grew more and more fond of each other and finally, they revealed their feelings and went steady, much to everyone's happiness for them. Of course, they agreed not to let their relationship get in the way of protecting New York.

She was very loyal and a bit protective of her new family and friends, going as far as risking her life for them, just like Leo. But tonight, she had a nightmare that she had failed them...and herself. She was sitting on the sofa, hugging her knees, crying.

Leo, who woke up, came downstairs, drank a glass of water, then spotted Roselia in the living room. "Ro?" he asked, using her nickname. "Ro, are you okay?" He took a closer looked and saw tears in her eyes. "Ro, what's the matter? Why are you crying?"

Roselia didn't want to tell him of her nightmare, so she started to run from him, but he caught her by the wrist and gently pulled her back to him. "Please, tell me what's wrong," he implored. "You've always told me your problems before. I ask you don't stop now."

She knew she couldn't escape him now, but she looked down on the floor. He led her back to the couch, sitting her next to him and softly whispered, "Now, what's bothering you?"

"I had a nightmare," she answered, not looking at his face.

"Was it when the five of us fought the Shredder and he...?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"No, it wasn't that nightmare."

A while back, Roselia had a horrible dream that she and the Turtles ran into the Shredder in a dark alley and she saw him kill them before her eyes. It make her shake something fierce that night that she couldn't hold her practice katana when she tried to forget about it. Leo woke up that night, too, and comforted her until she fell asleep in peace and got over it.

"I dreamt that I was walking in darkness until I saw two doors in front of me. One door led to my past with my old family and the other led to you guys. I was supposed to either return to the family I lost or stay with the people I was with now... I couldn't decide at all. I'd missed my old family, but I loved you guys just as much. Suddenly, the doors started to close and just when I got closer, the doors shut tight forever, leaving me in lonely shadows." That's when she cried just like that night over a year ago, but this time, Leo held her differently because of how much loved her.

"I felt so guilty," she sobbed quietly. "I was having hard time returning to a dead family over a live one."

"Shh, shh," he hushed gently, stroking her ponytail. She shook, making him hug her tighter. "It's all right, it's all right."

"I'm so sorry, Leo," she said through tears.

"Shh..." He lifted her face and wiped her tears. "I know," he replied, kissing her forehead. "I know. It's okay. It's understandable. After all, you missed your old family. It would be hard to decide...but you don't have to worry about being alone in the dark. 'Cause we'll make sure you're never alone ever again."

She smiled. It meant the world to her for her new friends to keep her from being in her dark, lonely existence.

Although Leo was happy she was feeling a bit better, he noticed how tired she looked and brought her head to his lap.

"What are you doing?" Roselia asked.

"You need your sleep."

"So do you."

He petted her shoulder with a smile. "Hey, I don't mind staying up an hour or two. As long as you feel better. Now, please, go to sleep."

Being caught in his caress, she obeyed and closed her eyes in bliss.

"Atta girl."

She smiled. She loved when he said that. She moved her hand to her shoulder where his hand was and gripped it.

Leo smiled, leaned down, and kissed her cheek. "Good night. ...I love you."

"I love you, too, Leo. Good night." And with that, she was sound asleep. Leo looked at her happily, stroking her hair. After several minutes, he felt a little draft and knew she was going to be cold, but he saw no blanket, so he decided he was going to have to carry her to her bedroom where she'd be warmer. He gently picked her up bridal style and brought her to her bedroom, carefully placing her down, covering her with her comforter, making her shift a little. He smiled and whispered, "Sweet dreams, Roselia."


	2. Chapter 2

Around 7:00 a.m., Roselia woke up in her bedroom in confusion, then she figured Leo must've moved her to her room last night. She felt refreshed and fixed and cleaned herself up and went downstairs for breakfast. To her surprise, she didn't see any of the boys. She wondered if they were asleep, although they'd usually be up at this hour. But they couldn't be around...the lair was never this quiet when the boys were up and about.

She gave a shrug, assuming that maybe they had to do something outside the lair, so she went to make breakfast for herself. There on the microwave, she noticed a sticky note on it that said, "Good morning, Roselia. I made you breakfast. It's in the microwave. I hope you like it. And please eat it up, quick. I kinda made it early and took my brothers out in the tunnels so they wouldn't see what I did and you know..."

She smiled knowing that Leo would've been embarrassed if his brothers knew he made her breakfast. Even though they were happy he and Roselia were dating, they would tease them about it a little. Sometimes, when they would go out together alone, those three would follow her, much to their annoyance.

She heated up her breakfast of pancakes and bacon and sat down and ate. She was very satisfied and impressed with Leo's cooking as well as touched. "Do I even deserve someone as sweet as Leo?" she asked herself. Then she washed her dishes and trained in the dojo, swinging her sword around.

"Ah, good morning, Roselia."

She turned to the entrance and saw her rodent master. "Good morning, Master Splinter," she greeted with a bow.

"Practicing early, I see," sensei observed.

"You know me," Roselia remarked with a shrug.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

After training a good number of minutes, Master Splinter announced, "We are done," and both bowed to each other. "You still got it," sensei commented.

"Thank you, sensei."

"By the way, have you noticed that my sons are not around?" he asked.

"Considering how quiet it is, yes."

"That caught my attention, too. Do you know where they are?"

"Oh, yes, Leo left a note sayin' he was taking them out in the tunnels. Where exactly? He didn't say."

"I see. Now why did he take his brothers out so early?" he queried, stroking his beard.

"Well, he..." Roselia trailed, stroking her hair shyly.

"Ah...so that is what he was doing."

"What do you mean?"

"A while ago, I thought I had smelled someone cooking a little something and I knew it was Leonardo," he explained, "At first, I assumed he was cooking for all of us, but then again, judging how little time it took him, he was only cooking for one person."

"Y-yes," she answered hesitately, "he made breakfast for me."

"I see. I suppose he wanted to cheer you up about your nightmare last night."

"You heard us?"

He nodded. Roselia knew she shouldn't be surprised. He was always observant. She looked at the ground with guilt. Seeing this, he walked up to her and placed his hairy paw on her shoulder. "I understand how you feel. There are times I would look at the past of my Master Yoshi. How I would think about and miss him everyday. But then, I would remind myself that he is with me in my heart as your family is in yours. And that we both have new families who love and need us."

Roselia smiled and hugged her rat father-figure, who returned the hug. Suddenly, they heard someone hollering, "I can't believe you made us get up at the break of dawn for a run in the sewers," and they knew it was Raph, being his usual grumpy self.

"And before breakfast?" another voice added, who was obviously Mikey, "That's a crime in itself."

"I see my sons have returned." Splinter spoke.

"It's not a matter of seeing, it's hearing," Roselia put in.

"Yes, indeed." We walked out of the dojo to meet the tired hungry boys.

"Morning, fellas," Roselia greeted with a wave.

"Hey, Ro," Donnie greeted.

"How are you?" Leo asked. Roselia figured he was wondering if she slept well and had no more nightmares last night and said, "I'm fine, thanks."

Leo nodded with satisfaction. "Good."

"What about you guys?"

"We've had better mornings," Raph answered crankily, "The ones that don't involve our big brother forcin' us to get up bright and early for a run in the tunnels."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with a good exercise," Leo defended himself, though it was mostly an excuse.

"Before sunrise?" Raph asked, raising his eye in irritation.

"At least you feel more wide-awake." Roselia said to help Leo.

Donnie yawned. "Don't be too sure about that," he disagreed, making her smile.

"Well, now that we're back, I'm makin' breakfast," Mikey pronounced, getting his cooking utensils ready.

"Please, Mikey, nothing...out of the ordinary," Donnie requested.

"Yeah, not like last week," Raph added.

"Hey, what's wrong with fried pickled omelet?" Mikey asked.

"A lot of things," Raph answered bluntly.

"I don't know. I thought it was good," I said.

"Thank you, Ro," Mikey motioned to me with a spatula, looking at his big brothers, "At least somebody liked my latest dish."

"Which still confuses us," Raph said.

"And frightens us," Leo finished.

Roselia shrugged and smiled. "Well, I'm takin' a walk," she announced, grabbing her twirling stick.

"Aren't you gonna eat with us?" Donnie asked.

"I ate a while ago. I'll see ya when I see ya," she said with a wave and left the lair, with Leo watching her go.

Roselia twirled and tossed her stick around. She loved to play with her stick, like a majorette. It always made her feel comfortable.

"Hey, there," said a familiar voice. She turned to see Leo who had followed her from the lair.

"Hey, what brings you here?" she asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right for real," he answered.

"I'm fine," she replied with a smile. "By the way, I liked the food you made for me."

"You did?" he asked his eyes lighting up.

She nodded. "It wasn't fried pickled omelet, but it wasn't bad for normal food."

He grinned. "Well, I thought you deserved something after..."

She smiled. "Thank you. It's a little too soon after breakfast, but here's your dessert." She leaned close to his face, making him blush, ready for a little kiss on the lips, but instead, she gave a peck on the cheek.

"Wait a minute. That's all I get?" he asked in disbelief. "After getting up early and fighting tooth and shell with my brothers to get them away from the lair so they wouldn't see what I did, I get a kiss on the cheek?"

She thought about it for a second and said, "Yeah, I think that's good enough." With a playfuly smile, she added, "Don't you?" Then she ran away.

He grinned and said, "Oh, that's it," and chased after her.

Roselia knew how to escape him. She hid in a little spot in the wall of the tunnel and waited as he past her hiding place. Knowing he would remember that trick, she quickly came out and went off in another direction in the tunnels. Then Leo stopped. "Wait a minute," he told himself and sighed, "I'm a sucker for that every time." Going back the way he came, he saw the spot in the wall and thought he'd got her trapped, but to his surprise, she wasn't there. "Huh? ...Of course," he thought with a smile, "She knew I'd figure it out. Hmm... Where would she...?" Then snapped his fingers when it hit him.

Roselia twirled her stick with satisfaction, thinking she got away from him. "I'd love to see him find me now."

"Wish granted," Leo said, making her turn to him in shock.

"Uh-oh." She tried to run from him, but he grabbed her.

"Oh, no, you don't!" he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind, making her sit on the ground with him, his legs crossed in front of hers. She knew there was no escape now.

"Now..." Leo said, taking one of her hair locks and looking at it, "...what to do with you."

"How about I start with a really good apology?" she suggested, scared of him now.

"Nope, no," Leo shook his head, still holding and looking at her hair, "that's not what I want from you."

"Then what do you want? A proper reward for this morning?

"As a matter of fact, yes," he answered, letting go of her hairlock. "I do deserve something more, you know."

She smiled. "Yes, I do know."

"Wait, you...? Then why did you...?"

"To tease you," she interrupted, "You know, to make things more exciting. Not to mention, chasing each other is good exercise." Freeing her hand, she took his face to see his chocolate brown eyes. "But you do deserve something more."

She started to bring his face close to hers, but he gently took his head from hers. "Hold on, I wanna save the best for last," he said, making her tilt her head. "Look that way," he asked her and she turned her head to the front. When she did, he moved her long auburn hair from her neck, making Roselia suspicious.

"Uh, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Don't worry, I won't go below," he assured her, "I'm a gentleman, remember?" Then to Roselia's shock, he felt her lips on her neck. She gasped and stiffened at first, but when he started kissing her neck, she relaxed and moaned in pleasure.

He kissed from the back to the side of her neck, then started kissing upwards to her face and kissed her lips. After the kiss was broken, they looked at each other, then Leo hugged her tighter. "Was that too much dessert?" he asked.

"Kinda," she answered, stroking his chin, "but at least you remembered your table manners, like the gentleman you are."

"Of course. A gentleman would never abuse a lady."

She smiled. "Well, this lady is very happy to have a gentleman like you."

"And this gentleman is very happy to have a lady like you at his side." She continued to stroke his face, then he kissed the palm of her hand and held it for a second and sadly announced, "I'm _really _sorry to say this, but I think I'd better head back to the lair. Otherwise, they might start looking for me."

"Right," she sighed with disappointment. They both got up, but Roselia stopped him from leaving. "Hang on," she said, wiping his cheek and lips.

"What'd you do that for?" he asked.

"Making sure they don't see my lip gloss on your lips."

"Right, good idea." After wiping his face, he hugged her and bid each other farewell for now. As Roselia started walking, she was dazed by what just happened. _Oh, that was a good moment. So was last night. To be safe in his arms, to hear his voice calm my nerves, to feel his lips on my face and neck... _She smiled and shivered. _Settle down, Ro. Just help Leo will remember to calm himself before he gets back. _

Leo himself was also dazed. _Oh, wow, first time I kissed her like that before. I didn't think about doing it. I just...did it. I'm glad she didn't object to it, but I'm also glad she she feels better about last night._

Leo walked back into the lair, where his brothers were waiting for him in the kitchen.

"Well, look who decided to come back," Raph announced with a grin.

"Where'd you go?" Mikey asked with a smile, his hands under his face and his elbows on the table.

"I was out in the tunnels," he answered as he sat down, not saying where.

"Did you run into somebody in there?" Donnie pressed, leaning close to his blue-masked brother.

"A certain nice girl with long auburn hair, twirlin' her stick?" Raph suggested, his grin growing wider.

"Oh, what? You guys didn't spy on us this time? I'm shocked," Leo said sarcastically.

"Come on, don't leave us hangin' this time," Mikey begged.

"No... You don't need to know."

"I'm guessin' there was some kinda lip action," Raph said.

"What makes you say that?" Leo asked.

"Because you never wear lip gloss," Raph pointed out, motioning his the corner of his lip.

Leo's eyes widened, he took a spoon and saw Roselia missed a spot on his mouth. He blushed with embarrassment and went off to wash his face.

"Ooh, la, la," his brothers said in unison.


	3. Chapter 3

**Comfort and Love**

One evening, in the living room, all was quiet again and Roselia assumed that the boys went out for patrol. She walked in, sat down on the couch, and decided to see what was good on T.V. Normally, she wouldn't watch it, but she was bored, so why not?

While she was surfing through the channels, she stopped out of more boredom and played with her long hair for a minute, taking off the scrunchy that held it back.

"Wonder if I should get it trimmed," she thought aloud, running her fingers through her hair, "Just an inch or two. Maybe I could ask April to do it." She let her hair down and flipped through the channels again.

Suddenly, she felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her, and someone's head on her shoulder and turned to see Leo.

"Well, I thought I'd regognized this beautiful woman..." he remarked, making her smile. "...but I didn't think I'd catch her watching television."

Roselia shrugged. "Yeah, well, boredom got to me, so... Anyway, what are you doin' here? I thought you were on patrol since no one else is here."

"Oh, well, you see, Mikey went off with his skateboard in the tunnels; Donnie's helping April with a project they've been working on for a while; Casey and Raph are working out, and sensei's in his bedroom. So..."

"So, for the first time, we're alone in the lair?" she asked excitedly.

"Well, save sensei, but yes, we are," he answered with a satisfied grin.

"Finally, privacy in the home." They never had the lair to themselves and since Leo's brothers were gone, they could enjoy their time together in peace.

Leo came around the couch and sat next to her and asked, "So what are you watching?"

"I don't know," she confessed, still changing channels. "I'm just looking to see what's on. I don't usually watch T.V."

"Well, I know that. That's why I said I didn't think I'd find you watching any," he reminded her, making her smile. Actually, those two would rather train and practice and spar with each other than watch T.V. They're just made for each other, huh?

"Here, let's see what I can find," he offered. She handed him the remote since he knew the channels better than her, even though he doesn't watch them much himself, either.

With his arm wrapped around Roselia, Leo went to a channel he knew she loved. He pressed the write channel and the screen showed two white tiger cubs.

"Aww..." Roselia commented happily.

Leo grinned proudly, "I knew you'd like to watch this."

"Well, you know me and my love for animals," she remarked, her eyes glued to the tiger cubs.

Leo smiled at that. He remembered when he and his brothers saved her from the Purple Dragons when he first met her. They didn't talk to her very much for obvious reasons, but Roselia never forgot them nor was she afraid of them. She actually wanted to find them and thank them properly for what they did and she was fascinated with them, too, so she wanted to get to know them.

She got her wish the next evening when Leo ended up trapped in a warehouse where he was fighting the Foot ninjas who had him trapped under fallen debris from the ceiling and set the place on fire.

Thankfully, Roselia saw him and got him out safely. Leo was shocked to see she wasn't scared of him at all and saved his life. Roselia told him she preferred to judge someone for who they are, not what they are and that she was very interested to get to know Leo and his brothers since they were mutant turtles, which was caused by the animal-lover inside her. From that day forward, they became best friends ever since.

He kissed her on the forehead, making her smile and blush.

They watched the documentary of the tiger cubs and when Roselia saw that the cubs lost their mother, she started crying. It reminded her of how she lost her last family and that she ended up lost and alone.

Leo noticed this and he had a feeling why she was shedding tears. He brought a hand to her face to wipe off her tears. She looked at him and gave him a small smile. "Sorry, I'm just..."

"I know," he told her. They said nothing else and continued watching the show, where they saw the tiger cubs being adopted by another tigress who had cubs of her own. When she saw this new family, Roselia remembered how she was accepted into Leo's family. She smiled and leaned her head against Leo's shoulder.

Leo smiled and rested his chin on on the top of her head. He thought about how he and his brothers and sensei used to be regular animals before they got mutated. He wondered how their lives would've turned out if they hadn't. Well, he and his little brothers would be pets to some boy and his sensei would still be a street rat. They wouldn't have had any of the adventures or met any of the great friends they had. They'd all be living empty lives.

He turned away for a moment and when Roselia noticed this, she asked him, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing...I was just thinking how our lives would be if we never got mutated," he explained. "We'd be stuck inside a fish tank and Splinter would still be alone on the streets. It just sounds like a really depressing life."

"Then don't think about it," she advised. "Just remember that you guys did get mutated and you're all living the wonderful lives you have now. And you're doin' things no animal has done before. You're ninjas; you protect the city; you fight villains, monsters, and evil aliens; you visit other worlds, and you have friends who are there for you. Why look at a normal turtle's life when you should look at the life you have now?"

Leo took in her words and knew she was right. He had everything he could want. Yes, he and his family couldn't go to the surface, but they still had adventures, friends, and each other. "Yes, you're right. ...In fact, another thing I love most in this life I have now..." he said, lifting her chin up, "...is that unlike most animals, we mutant animals can fall in love." Then he lowered his head under hers and kissed her neck.

Roselia's eyes widened, but she said nothing and relaxed as he felt his lips move up and down her neck. Then he moved his head and pressed his lips on hers. She returned the kiss and they embraced. When the kiss was broken, he said, "You know what's greater for a mutant to fall in love?"

"Hmm?

"To be loved in return."

She smiled. "Well, any girl who pays too much attention to a mutant boy's appearance instead of his personality isn't good enough for him."

"If only more girls were like you. Then my brothers would be happy."

"Who knows?" she shrugged. "Maybe there are Miss Rights for your bros."

"I hope you're right, but knowing you, you probably are."

She smiled and before they said anything else, a certain red-masked turtle came in. "Well..." he said, looking at his brother and human friend who both scooted away from each other with red faces. "Did I come back at the wrong time?" he asked teasingly.

"You kinda did," Leo answered, giving him a slight glare.

"Sorry," he shrugged.

"Sure you are," Leo whispered disbelievingly, looking away.

"So what have you guys been up to while everyone was away?" he asked, leaning his head and arms on the edge of the sofa, eyeing them both.

"Just watching T.V.," Roselia answered.

"You two, watchin' T.V.?" he asked, his eye raised.

"We were bored," Leo insisted.

"To finally spend time in the lair alone together, you decided to watch television?" Raph asked, standing up straight.

"Well, there was nothing else to do," Leo explained, "We mostly spoke to each other."

"Spoke to each other, huh?" he queried with a smirk, "Anythin' else?"

"If there was, we wouldn't tell you, Raphie boy," Roselia answered, "Not to be rude, it's just that we like to keep things private."

"Yes, Raphael," Leo agreed, "That's how it is for a boyfriend and girlfriend."

Raph grinned and bowed mockingly, "My apologies," then walked into the kitchen.

Poor Leo groaned and Roselia scooted over to him and whispered, "Relax, Leo. You know how he is, being your brother and all."

"Yes, yes, I do know how he is," he replied, rubbing his temples, "I'd just love to know what I can do about it."

She laughed slightly. "Not much you can do."

"Well, that makes me feel better," he grumbled. "Oh, well, better him than Mikey coming in here."

But to his dismay, in came in the orange-masked turtle himself. "Well, hey there, lovebirds," he greeted mischeviously.

"And that's him right on cue," Leo muttered.

"Hey, Mikey. Did you have fun?" Roselia asked.

"Yeah, and I guess you two had fun yourselves, right?" he implied.

"We did until Raph came in," Leo replied.

"Well, how dare he?" he asked with mocked disappointment.

"You came in, too, F.Y.I." Leo pointed out.

"Oh, yeah," he said, then went into the kitchen with Raph.

"Well, Raph and Mikey are home," Roselia said softly, "All that's left is..."

"I'm back," called a purple-masked turtle.

"...Donnie."

"And so ends our first time in peaceful silence in the lair together," Leo said, half-despairingly, kissing Roselia's hand.

"Maybe next time," she answered to comfort him.

"Yes, but how long until then?" he asked.

"What you guys whisperin' about?" Mikey asked who came back from the kitchen with Raph.

"Nothing too important," Roselia replied.

"Or maybe you're both upset that we're all back so soon," Donnie hinted, sitting in his chair and Mikey and Raph sitting on a couch that was next to the one Leo and Roselia were sitting on.

"Oh, now, why would you think that, Donnie?" Roselia asked innocently.

"Dunno," he shrugged with mocked confusion, "I think it was those disappointed looks on your faces."

"We take it you'd like us to go away more often?" Raph proclaimed.

"Not more often, per say," Leo started.

"Just...twice a week every week," Roselia finished.

"Well, we'll have to see what our schedules will be," Donnie joked, making Roselia laugh and Leo roll his eyes.

"But if you do want us gone more often, we will..." Mikey said with an evil grin, "if you let us hide a camera in the lair."

"No way," Leo denied.

"It's not worth it," Roselia added.

"Darn," Mikey grumbled, snapping his fingers.

"Come on, would you guys like it if we got into your private lives?" Leo asked.

"Well, no," Donnie answered, "but you're the only one of us with a girlfriend in _your_ private life."

"Which makes your life more interesting than ours," Mikey put in.

"Now, if you were just goin' off trainin' like you always do, we wouldn't bother ya," Raph said.

"At least they respect your training hours," Roselia told Leo, making the boys laugh.

"Well, I appreciate that, but I'd appreciate it more if you'd respect my..." Leo to find the right word for it.

"More relaxing hours," Roselia concluded.

"We would, but that's why we're so curious about them because somethin'," but Raph cleared his throat correctingly, looking at Roselia, "I mean, someone, is actually helpin' you relax more."

"Of course, he'd feel more relaxed if you guys wouldn't spy on us like you sometimes do," Roselia scolded playfully.

"Ha ha," Leo teased.

Donnie hung his head in shame, "Okay, you got us on that one."

"We should be more respectful about your private times," Mikey agreed.

"And since you two are the only ones who can get each other to relax, we'll back off," Raph promised.

"I hear it, but I don't believe it," Roselia said, surprised.

"Neither do I," Leo said looking at his brothers, wondering if they were okay or if these guys were imposters.

"Hey, we promise, we'll leave you guys alone," Donnie assured.  
"We have to, 'cause Master Splinter told us if we spied on you again, he'd give us six hours of training every day for a week," Mikey explained.

"Now that I believe," Leo remarked.

"We should give him our deepest gratitude later," Roselia said.

"No need," said their sensei who came in from his bedroom. "And you are both welcome. After all, you two are a couple now so you both deserve your privacy," he added, glaring at his three younger sons who looked away innocently, making Leo and Roselia laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Very Odd Truth or Dare**

One night, in the lair, Roselia and the boys sat in the living room with the coffee table and sofas moved to make more space for their game: Truth or Dare.

Roselia rolled her eyes as the bottle spinned. She really didn't like the game. She thought it was boring and a waste of time, but Mikey pleaded and cried with real tears for her to play. Normally, Roselia would object no matter what and stand her ground, but Mikey looked really pitiful, even more than usual, so...she gave in just this once agreeing that he'd never ask her to play the dumb game ever again.

The bottle stopped at Donnie who worriedly said, "Oh, boy."

"Okay, Donnie, truth or dare?" Mikey asked.

"Eh...truth," he answered, thinking it'd be safer than saying dare and letting Mikey come up with something crazy and weird for him to do.

"Have you ever invented something and it blew up?"

"No."

"Ehh!" Raph objected, making a buzzing sound, "Liar."

"How am I lying?" Donnie asked.

"I remember a long time ago when we were seven, you "fixed" the oven," Raph explained, using air quotes, "and when we were makin' pizza for Splinter's birthday, the oven set the pie on fire."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that." Mikey said, thinking back.

"Me, too," Leo said, explaining the rest to Roselia, "We were in a panic. We didn't know what to do until sensei came in with a fire distinguisher and put out the flames in the oven."

"We were mad at Donnie for ruinin' Splinter's dinner that we made," Raph finished, glaring at Donnie.

"Well, I made a mistake. I crossed something wrong," Donnie insisted.

"Yeah, he crossed us wrong," Raph remarked.

"Well, I'm sure Splinter was still grateful what you wanted to make him a pizza," Roselia reasoned, making peace as always, "It is the thought that counts."

"That's excatly what sensei said," Leo agreed.

"With that said, it's my turn to spin," Donnie declared, spinning the glass bottle, which stopped at Raph.

Donnie smiled evilly rubbing his hands together.

"Don't think I'll answer any stupid question or do any dumb dare and won't pound ya later," Raph warned.

"Truth or dare, Raph?" Donnie asked, ignoring his threat.

"Truth." Raph answered dryly.

"Is it true you have a sensitive side?"

"Heck no!"

"Hold up, Raph," Leo stopped, "I sense a lie in your eye."

"What, are you learnin' to read people's minds from Splinter?" Raph asked sarcastically.

"No, I just know you," he answered simply, folding his arms. "Tell the truth, Raph."

"Is there anything mushy or sweet you do that we don't know about?" Mikey asked, resting his chin on his hands.

"...Well..."

"Just get it over with, Raph," Roselia advised, "The sooner we get done with this game, the better."

"...I...write lyrics." Raph blurted out, then looked away.

"Lyrics?" Donnie echoed.

"For what?" Leo asked.

"...For...songs."

"Songs?" we repeated in disbelief.

Mikey bursted out laughing. "You write songs? Oh, man, I never would've imagined!"

Raph was about to get up and pound his youngest brother, but Roselia put her hand on his shoulders and started massaging, making him relax just a tad. This usually helped keep him from killing his brothers most of the time, which they're all grateful for.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with writing lyrics for songs," she told him, squeezing his shoulders, "I'm sure you write lyrics for rock 'n' roll, right?"

"...Yeah."

"Then there's nothin' to be embarrassed about," she assured, letting him go. "In fact, when you're done writing, you should show them to us, if that's not a problem."

"I'll let you be the first, Ro," Raph agreed. The boys knew Roselia loved music, so Raph knew she was the best judge.

"Thanks," she replied. "Your turn,"

"Yeah, I can't wait to see which one will be my victim," Raph said with an evil grin, spinning the bottle, making his brothers uneasy. Finally, the bottle stopped to Mikey.

"Uh-oh," Mikey said in horror.

"Oh, yeah," Raph said, rubbing his hand like Donnie did earlier. "Truth or dare, Mikey?"

"Truth. I can handle the truth," he answered quickly, knowing Raph would make him do something drastic if he'd chosen dare.

"Let's hope so..." Raph replied, thinking of a good question to ask him, then it hit him and he gave the orange-masked turtle a smirk. "Is it true that you talk in your sleep?"

"What? Who says I do that?" Mikey demanded, stalling.

"Just answer yes or no, Mikey," Leo told him.

"...Y-Yeah..." Mikey said hesitatedly, "but I don't do it loudly."

"Oh, yeah, right," Raph snorted, "I live next door to ya. I can hear ya loud and clear."

"That was you?" Donnie asked. "I thought maybe you were playing late-night movies on the mini DVD player in your bedroom... So you were the one saying, 'Oh, princess, I know I'm just a knave mutant turtle, but even a freak of nature like me can love a vision of lovliness such as yourself'."

Okay, Roselia had to admit, she was having a little fun with this.

Poor Mikey's face was red with embarrassment, but Roselia thought that he deserved it for suggesting this game in the first place.

"Your turn, Mikey," Roselia invited.

Mikey didn't respond, he just spinned the bottle. Then it stopped at Leo. Mikey looked up at his blue-masked brother, then his mortified face changed into a wicked smile.

"Oh, no," Leo said softly to me, "What is he gonna make me do?"

"He's your brother, you tell me," Roselia replied.

"Truth or dare, Leo?" Mikey asked.

Leo thought about it and he wondered if he should say truth... Then again, he thought that was a really bad idea becase Mikey would probably ask him to tell his brothers about his dates with Roselia and he was not going to do that. "Dare," Leo said.

"Huh, first dare, so far," Donnie remarked to Raph.

"Okay...dare..." Mikey thought...then he had an idea that would be really good. "I dare you to kiss Roselia passionately right here, right now."

"What?!" Leo exclaimed, his face turning red with Roselia feeling awkward. "This is Truth or Dare, Mikey, and we may have a bottle, but we're not doing Spin the Bottle."

"You asked me to dare you and I am. So..." Mikey said, motioning him to Roselia, who stared at him.

"Come on, Leo, it's a dare, you gotta do it," Donnie told his oldest brother.

"Just get it over with," Raph added.

Leo looked at Roselia and he had no choice. He leaned forward, both their faces blushing at the thought of his brothers watching, then Roselia had an idea. She let down her long, thick auburn-hair and shielded both of their faces from all three viewers and kissed her blue-masked love whose eyes were wide, then closed.

When the kiss was broken, they looked at each other and Roselia winked at him and Leo smiled at her clever idea.

They then turned at the three younger turtles who looked at them with dismay.

"No fair!" Mikey whined.

"We wanted to see," Donnie complained.

"Yeah, why'd you have to cover your faces with your hair, Ro?" Raph agreed.

"Mikey didn't ask Leo if you all could see us kiss. He just asked him to just kiss me and that's what we did." Roselia smirked victoriously, looking at Mikey. "Next time, be more specific."

Donnie and Raph glared at Mikey who gave them a nervous grin.

Winking at Roselia, Leo spinned the bottle and it stopped towards Roselia.

"Oh, gosh," Roselia muttered.

"Hey, take it easy, I won't be Mikey," Leo promised.

"Good."  
"Truth or dare?"

Roselia was scared to ask, even though she knew Leo would be fair to her. So she decided, "Truth."

"Is it true that I'm the only guy you'll love in your life?" Leo asked simply with a grin.

Roselia was surprised, but she smiled and answered straight-forwardly, "You bet your blue mask on that one." Taking her hair to cover their faces again, she kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.

"Oh, sure, torture us some more," Donnie said, leaning his cheek on his hand.

Roselia shrugged.

"If she'd said dare, you should've told her to cut most of her hair," Mikey commented, making Roselia giving him a hard look that made him flinch.

"My turn," Roselia declared, spinning the bottle. To her surprise and gratitude, it was Mikey. "Well, well, well..." she announced, looking at him evilly.

"Oh, no..." Mikey squeaked.

"Oh, yes... Truth or dare?"

"Dare? No, wait, truth," Mikey stuttered.

"No, no, no take-backs," Leo told him, helping Roselia get back at him.

"Oh..." Mikey whimpered.

"I dare you..." Roselia thought, then she went into the kitchen.  
"Where you goin'?" Raph asked.

"No, let her go," Mikey told him. "Maybe she's done playin'."

"Oh, I'm just gettin' started," Roselia called, "Come in here please, all of you."

Leo got up, dragging a reluctant Mikey with him with Donnie and Raph following. They all sat down at the dining table to see Aurora making something. She had two breads, small slices of celery, a few bits of broccoli, sliced carrots and cucumbers, a dollop of peanut butter, a little bit of jelly, cottage cheese, two olives and marshmallows, five potato chips, garlic and onion powder and after putting island dressing on both slices of bread, she mashed the whole thing together into a sandwich then put it on a plate, handing it to Mikey. "I called it a good junk sandwich," Roselia explained, "It's good 'cause it has healthy vegetables and it has tasty snacks in it, but it's still junk 'cause it's all combined. I dare you to eat all of it."

"What?!" he cried, cringing at the sandwich. "No way, I mean, do you really expect me to eat that?"

"Yes, I do..." she said, blinking at him playfully.

"Please is there anything else you want me to do?" Mikey begged.

"No!" she said firmly, pointing at the sandwich. "Eat it now."

"Okay..." Mikey said, giving in. He picked up the sandwich and took a bite out of it. It tasted to nasty to him. He woud've enjoyed the peanut butter, jelly, chips, and marshmallows since he liked snack foods, but they all tasted horrible being mixed with everything else. Donnie and Raph gagged and looked grossed out as they watched him eat all of it, but Leo and Roselia looked at him with deep satisfaction since he tried to make them kiss in front of them so they could see.

What seemed like forever, Mikey finally ate the whole sandwich. For a moment, he looked like he was going to hurl, but he held it down.

"Next time, don't dare either Leo or me to kiss in front of you, got it?" Roselia said.

Mikey nodded because he couldn't say anything from his very odd lunch.

"And...are we all agreed to never play Truth or Dare again?" Roselia added.

"Yes," all four boys replied at once.

"I thought so," Roselia said with a smile.

* * *

Later, Leo and Roselia trained in the dojo alone, enjoying their sparring.

"I have to tell you, that sandwich idea was the best one yet," Leo told her, his blade touching hers.

"Thank you," she replied, backing up from him. "I would've just given him a sandwich with vegetables, but I thought adding a bit of fun stuff would be fair."

"It wasn't fun when you mixed them all together," Leo replied, shuddering at the thought of that sandwich.

"Well, he deserved it for making us play that game in the first place," Roselia said, coming at him, who dodged her attacks.

"That he did," he agreed, "I have to tell ya, you amazed me with that hair trick of yours."

"Well, Mikey only asked you to kiss me, but he didn't ask if he and Donnie and Raph could see," she reminded him.

"That's what I love about you," Leo responded, "You always think about everything to think of clever ideas."

"Why, thank you," she replied, flattered at his remark. Then she lunged for him, and pinned him down.

He stared at her in shock. He had to admit, though, she was getting better and better at ninjitsu.

Roselia thought for a moment and asked, "Leo, is it true that I'm the only girl you'll ever love in your life?"

Leo smiled and put his hand at the back of her head and pulled her into a kiss. "You bet your auburn-hair on that one," he told her and they embraced.


	5. Chapter 5

**Love and War**

One evening, the boys and Roselia went roof-top jumping to get some exercise and for some fresh air... Well, the city air on the surface was better than the air in the sewer, that's for sure.

Roselia followed the guys as they jumped from roof to roof, happy to see the sky above her. She wished she could see the stars, but the city lights made it so hard to see as always. At least she was out and that was good enough, she supposed.

Suddenly, Roselia stopped when she saw something down an alley. Someone, actually.

Foot ninjas!

Roselia couldn't believe it was them. She and the guys hadn't seen them for a long time. She should've known they'd run into them again.

"Psst, guys!" she called quietly, making the Turtles halt. She put a finger on her lips and pointed to the Foot ninjas below.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Donnie commented, sarcastically.

"Yeah, it's been a while," Mikey agreed. "Wonder what cave those vampire ninja bats have been hiding."

"Don't matter," Raph replied, taking out his sais, twirling them in his fingers, "but they'll be flyin' back there when we're done with them."

Before Raph could jump in, Leo held his red-masked brother back. "Hold up, Raph, we should see what they're up to first," Leo reasoned, which they all knew was going to be pointless.

"They're up to no good, as usual," Raph argued. "What else is there to know?"

"How about the Queen of Vampire Ninja Bats?" Roselia suggested, showing them their favorite she-villain, Karai, who stepped out of the warehouse with some of her other ninjas.

Roselia was especially not a fan of hers. She remembered how loyal she was to her foster father, the Shredder, and even though Roselia understood why she loved him because he cared for her when he was alive but hated everyone else.

So that meant she had to follow his every order and destroy the Turtles than listen to her own good judgment when she believed in honor back then, but the guys and Roselia knew she had a choice. She didn't have to be a slave to her father, but she let herself be. She loved him too much.

Plus, well, even though Roselia doesn't feel that way anymore, another reason she didn't like Karai was because she was...a little jealous. When they first met Karai, Leo thought of her as an ally when she wanted to help them and Roselia was afraid Leo would forget about her as his best friend... But Leo assured her then that she would always be important to him no matter what.

Even though Roselia believed that and stopped being jealous, she still didn't trust Karai because of her mixed loyalties which made it hard to believe her when she'd ask for their help.

Now she's vowed vengeance on the Turtles and Roselia because they had to destroy the Shredder on their last confrontation because they knew his tyranny had to end forever. So now, she's turned as hateful as her father and became an arch enemy to Roselia and her friends.

"Is everything ready?" Karai asked icily.

The ninjas nodded. But what was supposed to be ready?

"Good," she nodded back. Then, as if she knew she was being watched, she looked up and saw the Turtles and Roselia.

"Hello," Mikey waved nervously.

"How you guys been?" Donnie asked.

"Attack!" Karai ordered and her ninjas started climbing up for them.

"That's a fine 'hello' and 'how do you do?'" Roselia remarked as they pulled out their weapons.

"Well, Ro, that is the Foot ninja greeting," Donnie reminded her.

When the black ninjas came up on the roof, Raph added, "And in a minute, they're gonna get our usual Ninja Turtle and kunoichi (female ninja) good-bye."

With that said, both good and bad ninjas collided. It was so long that they've fought the Foot ninjas, they'd almost forgotten how skilled they were. In fact, they noticed that the Foot were...doing better than usual.

Roselia pushed a ninja away from her and said to her boyfriend, "Leo, you starting to think that these guys might've been learnin' new tricks since we last saw them?"

Before Leo answered that question, one ninja came at them, making them jump away, and he started making fast swings with his sword at Leo, who thankfully dodged them all.

"Yeah, I'm starting to notice," Leo called, still dodging.

"Ro, look out!" Donnie shouted.

"Behind you!" Raph yelled.

Roselia turned around to see Karai herself who stood three dangerous steps away from her.

"The little kunoichi in training," Karai said with an evil grin, her icy voice low.

"Back off, Karai!" Roselia spat pointing her katana at her more experienced opponent, "I've gotten a lot better since we last fought."

"Really? Then let me test your skills," Karai replied pulling out her own sword.

"Leave her alone, Karai!" Leo yelled, terrified that his girlfriend was now face-to-face with Karai. He knew she would try to do away with someone with less experience first. "Your fight's with me, not her!"

"If she is your friend, then her fight is with me," Karai snapped, "And besides, she also helped you destroy my beloved father. In his name, she will die along with all of you." She ordered her ninjas, "Keep the Turtles away. This girl is mine." The Foot ninjas obeyed and kept the Turtles from getting near Roselia.

Roselia knew they could beat her ninjas, so she decided to avoid Karai's attacks long enough for them to reach her.

Karai slashed at her, but Roselia dodged. Karai kept coming at her with all sorts of swings and blows, but Roselia put as much distance between herself and Karai as possible.

"Fight back, you runt!" she snarled. "Unless your skills aren't as good as you say they are."

Her skills were fine, but not as good as Karai's, so Roselia was trying to fight smart. To distract her some more, Roselia said, "Karai, listen to me, this sort of thing is not going to make you feel better."

"Don't be too sure of that!" she hissed, swinging her sword, but Roselia evaded the attack, "You took my father away from me!"

Roselia saw the tears watering in Karai's eyes and said sympathetically, "I'm sorry we destroyed someone you loved, but we had no choice. He was kept ruining people's lives. We couldn't let him live any longer. You knew he was doing wrong, and yet you let him have his way? You can't fight for honor and be loyal to a killer like the Shredder who cared about nothing but revenge and chaos."

"Wrong!" Karai debated. "He cared about me!"

"I'm sure he did," Roselia replied gently, "but one good deed doesn't make up for the other crimes he committed...and for the crimes he was going to commit. He wasn't going to change his heart no matter what you would've said...and you know it."

Karai listened to no more of this and came back at Roselia who evaded her attacks every time. Finally, she stopped, trying to catch her breath. "You have gotten better," she commented dryly.

"Practice, practice, practice," Roselia shrugged with a smirk, "which must be what you and your ninjas have been doing for a while."

"So you've noticed," Karai remarked with a cold grin, "Ever since my father died, I made my ninjas train every day to perfect their skills...and it seems all that training is paying off."

Roselia looked in Karai's direction and saw that the boys were getting tired as well as the Foot.

"Well, your ninjas are starting to wear out themselves," Roselia pointed out.

"Maybe, but since the Turtles are too busy to come to your rescue." It was there that Karai shot some kind of spray from her gauntlet that temporarily blinded Roselia, who coughed from that spray. No more than a split second did she feel the most painful wound in her life on her side and found herself collasping on the ground. She held on to her wound and felt something wet. Then with blurry vision, she looked at a satisfied Karai whose sword was stained with something red... Blood!

Leo turned and saw his love on the ground and noticed the blood that was on Karai's sword. "No!" Leo screamed with agony. His brothers looked in horror at what had happened to their friend.

"Now...you will know the suffering my father suffered," Karai told her wounded opponent, then pointed her red-stained sword at the Turtles, "and you four will know the suffering I have suffered."

"You want suffering, you little witch?" Raph yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'll give you suffering!"

"Back off, Raph!" Leo demanded, running up to Karai, "_I'll _teach her a lesson!" He charged up at Karai and she was so surprised at his anger, she didn't have time to make her move when Leo knocked her down hard on the ground, his face close to hers.

He growled so furiously that Karai actually shook underneath him. Leo raised his sword and Karai closed her eyes as she braced for her death, but instead, Leo pierced his blade on a spot on the floor that was close to her throat. He brought his head her ear and growled, "The next time you attack my family like that again, I won't hold back." He got up from her and sternly said, "Now, go!" Karai stared at him for a second, then ordered her ninjas to leave and followed them without looking back.

After watching them leave in anger, Leo's face turned to worry as he turned Roselia. He carefully rolled her over on her back to see her panting and looked at the terrible wound that was still oozing blood.

"Leo?" she whispered, her eyes still blurry.

"Shh, don't talk, I'm right here," he hushed, stroking her hair.

"Are they...gone?" Roselia asked despite his request.

"Yeah, Ro, they're gone. Leo scared them away," Raph answered as he, Donnie, and Mikey came up to her.

Donnie looked at the injury and said, "Leo, we have to get her to the lair right away. We need to close her wound or she'll lose too much blood."

Leo nodded, ever so gently picking his auburn-haired love, who grunted in pain as he moved her.

"Shh, it'll be all right," he whispered, bringing her head closer to his, "You're going to be okay, I promise." He sounded so desperate, but Roselia knew to trust him like she always did and wrapped her arms around his neck, never feeling safer in her life.

Leo kissed her forehead, making her almost feel like the pain wasn't there, but only for a blessed second. "Let's go, guys," he said with great vigor and ran back with his brothers in pursuit back to the lair, keeping Roselia as close to him as possible, tears starting to come out of his eyes, feeling as if he was the one who was cut down.


	6. Chapter 6

As fast as they possibly could, the Turtles finally returned home with their hurt friend and came straight towards Donnie's lab.

When they entered, Donnie told Leo, "Put her on the table, Leo, carefully."

Leo nodded, slowly and gently setting her down with Raph and Mikey helping him. Roselia winced from the searing pain and at first she didn't to let go of Leo because she felt her life depended on being in his arms. But Leo took her hands off his neck, squeezing them, reassuring her that he wasn't going to leave her side.

"Okay, Ro," Donnie said to her.

Roselia looked around for him because her vision was still blurry, but she was able to make out all of them because of their colored masks.

"This mask is going to make you fall asleep," Donnie explained, putting it on her face. "So you won't feel us sowing the wound."

When Roselia breathed in the mask's air, she felt so very, very tired and started to close her eyes.

Leo kissed her cheek, whispering, "When you wake up, this nightmare will be over."

Roselia smiled at that and drifted off to sleep.

"Okay, guys, I'm gonna need your help," Donnie spoke up. "Mikey, Raph, get some water." They nodded and went into the kitchen.

"Leo," Donnie said to his eldest brother, whose eyes were fixed onto the unconscious Roselia alone, "I need you to help me clean the wound."

Forcing himself to let go of her hands, Leo got up and went to wound that was on her other side. He looked sick with horror when he saw her blood, but kept his grip for her sake, and helped Donnie get the stitching tools he would need. When Mikey and Raph came back with the water, Master Splinter followed.

"Raphael and Michelangelo told me what Karai did to her," Master Splinter told them, his voice grim, but his eyes were filled with worry when he saw the girl whom he thought of as his daughter was on the table hurt and out-cold.

"She needs her wound to be stitched, sensei," Donnie explained, washing the blood off her with Leo.

Master Splinter understood, though he didn't acknowledge to his purple-masked son that he heard because his gaze on Roselia was as still as stone. He thought about Karai, who used to believe in honor, would do something as cowardly and unfair as attacking a least experienced ninja and blinding her during the attack. He knew that she had completely turned herself into the Shredder.

"What else can we do, Donnie?" Mikey asked, his voice stuck with grief and concern his throat.

"Right now, I only need Leo," Donnie answered, getting the needle and thread ready.

"Hey, can't we at least stay?" Raph asked, his own voice sounding angry from what Karai had done, but scared for his friend.

"My sons, I believe we should leave this to Donatello and Leonardo," Master Splinter told them, gently, turning away, "Come, you have already done what you needed."

"But, sensei," Mikey protested.

"We don't wanna leave her just like that," Raph argued, "We're her friends, you know."

"Yes, and I know how fearful you are for her," Splinter whispered softly, "but right now, Donatello is needed for his medical skills and Leonardo is needed because his love for her will help her remain strong until she recovers. Come."

Regretfully, with a last glance at Roselia, they left the lab, leaving Donnie and Leo to their work.

As Don stitched the terrible wound, Leo cupped his hand on Roselia's face. Roselia shivered at first from his cool skin, but relaxed when she knew who was touching her head.

Then, what seemed like forever, Donnie was finally done. "Okay, that should do it."

"Will she live?" Leo asked, his voice never sounding so serious.

"Yes," Donnie answered gratefully, making Leo sigh with utmost relief, "but she needs to stay in bed for about two weeks until she heals."

"Two weeks?" Leo repeated.

"I know," Donnie replied. They all knew Roselia didn't like bed-rest at all, so the thought of telling her she had to take it easy and lie down for two long weeks... Oh, boy.

Donnie called Mikey and Raph, who were grateful to come back and hear she was going to make it. Very carefully, they carried her to her bedroom where she would be more comfortable and gently set her down.

Roselia moaned a little, making Leo stroke her hair before he covered her with a comforter.

"I can't believe what Ro went through tonight," Mikey thought out loud.

"Hey, Ro's a tough old girl," Raph told him nicely, wrapping his arm around his youngest brother, "She's been through bad times before and always came out on top, just like us."

"Yeah," Mikey agreed, feeling a bit better.

"Thankfully, she didn't lose too much blood," Donnie added, "but those stitches will leave a scar by the time she's back on her feet."

Master Splinter looked at Leo who looked so hurt himself and realized he felt responsible for what happened to her and knew this was going to leave a scar for him, too.

"My sons, let us go," sensei said, "We should let her have her rest."

His three youngers sons left the room, but Leo was still at her bedside. "Leonardo, I believe you should stay with her. She still needs you now more than ever."

"Thank you, sensei," Leo replied, really grateful for his understanding. He took one of her chairs and moved it close to her head.

To Leo, she looked like she was sleeping peacefully, as if she never got hurt at all. Leo was very happy she was going to live and was feel better in a few days, but he felt so guilty and wished he had stayed closer to her during the fight tonight.

Several minutes of watching over her later, Leo's head started to nod, so he rested his head on the edge of her bed and fell asleep.

* * *

That morning, Leo woke up in confusion when he saw he wasn't in his room, then when he saw Roselia asleep, he remembered what happened. He wondered if she had woken up at all.

To his relief, she started to stir. Her eyes fluttered, then she looked around the room. "Where am I?" she asked, her voice tired.

"In your room," Leo answered, making her turn to him.

"Hey, Leo," Roselia greeted with a smile. "What happened last night?"

"Karai happened," he answered grimly. "She blinded you...and made a cut on your side with her sword."

Roselia remembered, especially when she tried to get up and winced in terrible pain.

"Don't get up," Leo told her, almost panicking as he gently pushed her down, "Please don't get up. You're very hurt."

"So I've noticed," she remarked, her eyes watering with pain.

"Yeah, Donnie had to use stitches to close the wound," he explained when he pulled the covers back on her, "You're lucky you didn't lose too much blood. You're going to be okay, though, but..." He trailed off.

"But what?" she asked, noticing the hesitation in his voice.

"He also said you have to stay in bed...for two weeks?" he said regretfully.

"Two weeks? Really?" she asked in disbelief. "Oh, please, put me back to sleep again."

Leo smiled. "It won't be that bad," he assured her.

"Easy for you to say," she retorted playfully.

"It'll fly by. We'll keep you from getting bored," he said, holding her hand, "but for now, get some rest. It's not like you're goin' anywhere, anyway."

"How true," she agreed reluctantly, gripping his hand, "Thanks for staying with me all this time, Leo."

"Sure," he said, kissing her hand, stroking her hair, "Now get some sleep."

She nodded, closing her eyes into blissful slumber.

"Atta girl," he whispered, making her smile, then kissed her forehead and watched over her while stroking his thumb on her tiny hand, thankful his love was going to make it.


	7. Author's Note ALERT!

Hey, y'all, I just want to let you guys know that my cable will be out between now and Tuesday, so I won't be updating new chapters until then. Anyway, before I say good-bye for now, I want to thank those who like my work and are supporting me. I really appreciate it. See y'all later and God bless.


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Ninja Turtles, Humor, Romance