The Painter's Princess: Honesty
And the adventures of Abby continues, because she won't leave me alone. But hey, I get AwkwardRaphael in the process, so I figure that's a fair trade.
I also made this new icon expressly for this story. But it's pretty and I like it, so that makes it okay. ^_^V
Title: The Painter's Princess: Honesty
Relationship: non-romantic Raphael/OC
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are sadly not mine, in any incarnation. Thank goodness for fans, or stuff like this might actually have happened.
Warning: Some OOC, author's attempts at writing accents and lisps
Summary: Raphael brings home a stray that makes him - and everyone else - see himself through different eyes.
Author's Notes: This chapter is dedicated to phantom_blue and m14mouse, because I was totally shocked to get comments on something I wrote for me and posted for the hell of it. Let alone supportive ones. ^.^;;
Miss Linda's apartment didn't have the special things that told time for her, like Daddy had. But the key had been where it was supposed to be, and there was food in the fridge. She made herself a snack and tried her best to clean up after, 'cause Miss Linda didn't like messes. She kept the TV on, waiting for the Six O'clock News. Miss April was on the Six O'clock News, and after she was done Miss Linda would be coming home. That should be plenty of time.
She found one of her old coats that she'd forgotten the last time she was here after a long search, but there was nothing she could borrow for a new cane that Miss Linda wouldn't miss. Miss Linda didn't like her much, but she didn't want to be mean. It wasn't Miss Linda's fault she was ... diff'cult.
She listened to Miss April talk about how bad things were, and wanted to tell her she was wrong, because there were people like Raphael and his brothers to protect everyone. They'd make it better and keep people safe. She knew they would.
But then the news was over, and she had to go.
She put everything back *exactly* the way she thought it was, 'cause Miss Linda didn't like stuff out of place. And then she took a deep breath, and reached for the doorknob. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she couldn't stay here. She had to be brave.
Daddy would want her to be brave.
She took the elevator down to the ground floor, zipping up her jacket carefully as she waited for it to stop. No one was around to stop her, not that she thought they would if they had been. She hesitated again at the front door, her hands squeezing the push bar harder than they should have.
She shook her head. She had to be brave. She could be brave. She could.
It was cold outside, colder than she'd expected, and she shivered a little in her jacket. The street was quieter too, and she trailed one hand along the building as she walked, trying not to shiver again. Where could she go ... There were shelters, she knew that. Maybe the police station? They might know where to take her. But the police station was three blocks away, and she didn't dare try and call a cab. Not that she had any money, anyway.
She bit her lip, trying not to sniffle. Be brave. Be brave, she chanted to herself. Daddy would want me to be brave. And Raphael would want ... I *think* he'd want me to be brave. She hesitated, bringing her free hand up to her chin. She stopped herself just before she gave into the urge to suck her thumb, because she was too old for that now. I want Raphael! she cried silently.
No. She had to be brave! She wasn't going to cause trouble anymore. Not for anyone.
Someone cleared their throat loudly behind her, and she screamed, spinning around. "P-p-please d-don't hurt me!"
"You mind tellin' me exactly what it is you're doin' out here?" a very familiar voice demanded.
She froze. "R-Raphael?"
"Nevermind'n the fact that it's almost seven at night, in *New York*, and *dark*, exactly what are you doin' out here, by yerself, when I just dropped you off at home?!"
She flinched at his tone, pressing back against the wall. "I-I-I ... I-I w-was .... "
"You was *what*, Abigail?"
She swallowed. "I-I w-was gonna g-g-go t' ... the 'lice s-s-station," she stammered.
"And why didn' ya jus' call from home?"
She winced, looking down. "M-Miss Linda d-d-doesn't like m-me usin' the ph-phone," she mumbled.
There was a pause. "*Miss* Linda? I thought you said she was yer grandma."
She bit her lip.
"Abigail ... " he growled.
"N-not ... e'zactly?" she offered tentatively.
He sighed, and there was a weird noise that made her think he might be grinding his teeth. "Then what, *exactly*, is she?"
"M' s-s-sitter," she told his feet.
Another pause. "What?"
"Well ... n-not ... not really no m-more," she explained miserably, still looking down. "She ... she doesn' like to watch me 'less Daddy *really* needs it. Says it's too much trouble."
Raphael was moving around a lot now, shuffling his feet and muttering words she wasn't supposed to know under his breath. He sounded *real* mad, and she stayed quiet, not wanting to make him madder. "So when I asked you, if you had any relatives lookin' for ya - "
She shook her head slowly.
"Abby." His voice was sharp.
She cringed. "M-m-mommy ... left after ... 'fter I couldn't see no more," she whispered. "S' just me an' Daddy. An' n-now ... " She swallowed hard, trying not to cry.
"Ya don' have any grandparents? Aunts or uncles?"
She shook her head again.
"So ya lied to me."
She closed her eyes, trying not to cry. "D-d-didn't ... didn't want ... "
There was a sigh, and he was couched in front of her, his hand on her cheek. "Breathe, princess." It wasn't as gentle as the way he talked to her before, but he didn't sound quite as mad now. "Deep breaths, remember? Calm down."
She inhaled obediently, and felt him cup her chin when she let it out, making her look up. "Now. Tell me again. Why'd you lie?"
"Didn' wanna be trouble," she whispered. She felt her cheek get wet again, and tried to wipe it away. "You ... you an' t' others ... I don' got nowhere t' go. I didn' wanna be a b-burden ... "
He sighed again, and she was pulled into a hug. "Now who the he - heck taught ya a word like that, huh?"
"Mommy," she told his coat softly. "She said it t' Daddy ... 'fore she left. Said havin' a blind girl was ... was a burden ... And Miss Linda always says it's trouble .... "
His arms tightened around her.
He pulled away suddenly, his hands on her shoulders and she tried to look at where his face was. "I want you ta promise me somethin', Abby. Promise me that no matter what, you ain't gonna lie to me ever, *ever* again, capiche? No matter *what*."
She bit her lip, nodding slowly. "I promise," she whispered.
There was another sigh, and she felt herself get picked up. "All right, then. I guess we're goin' back ta the lair."
She looked up in surprise. "Huh? But - "
"Ya said there was no where else for ya to go, right?"
She hesitated and shook her head.
"Then you're comin' back home with me."
"But ... What about Master Spin'ter an' the others?"
"What about 'em? You think we're just gonna turn you out on your ear, kid? I don' *think* so."
She smiled slowly, feeling shy, and hesitantly wrapped her arms back around his neck. "Told you you're a good person, Raphael," she mumbled.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
****
She woke up up again on something soft, bundled in blankets. She sat up slowly, rubbing her face and listening. "Raphael?" she called tentatively.
There was no answer.
She bit her lip. If she waited, someone might come and tell her where she was ... but .... That was boring. And lazy. If she wanted to know something, she should find the answers herself. That's what Mommy had always said.
So she felt carefully around the blankets, eventually determining that she was on a pad on the floor. Climbing slowly to her feet, she stretched her arms out in front of her, shuffling her feet forward until her fingers touched a wall. Okay, she had a place to start.
She worked her away around the room, feeling the size, the rough texture of the walls. It was brick, but cold and damp, making her hands wet. She wiped them on her jacket before touching anything else, but kept one hand trailing along the wall. There was something tall and sort of cushy, but it was falling apart and taped together again. There was a net hanging in a corner, and something heavy and cold that she stumbled over in the center, by the cushy thing. She whimpered when she fell on her knees, but rolled over to feel for it. Something metal ... She couldn't lift it, it was *way* too heavy.
She heard hurried footsteps, and a door slid open. "Abby?!" Raphael demanded.
She looked up, brightening at the sound of his voice. "Raphael! There you are!"
"Sorry princess, I was gonna be here when ya woke up. Didn't think you'd get up this fast." He sounded guilty. "You okay? ... Hey, you're bleedin'!"
She frowned at herself. "I am? Where?"
"Looks like ya scraped yer knees when ya fell." He came closer, lifting her carefully into the air and holding her against his chest. "Sorry, princess. I thought those weights were outta the way."
"S' tha' what they were?" she asked curiously. "I was seein' the room an' I fell."
"Yeah ... that's ... not exactly ... Um, I'll clean it up later, princess."
"Okay." She snuggled close to him. "Where's everyone else?"
"They're uh, downstairs. We'll go find 'em once I'm done with yer knees, okay sweetheart?"
"Okay."
"Raph?" she heard Leonardo call. "Is everything all right?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it's fine, Leo. We'll be there in a few."
She was set down on something cold, and she felt along with her fingertips. A sink, she decided. She stayed still, letting her fingers wander as Raphael searched for something.
"There we are," he muttered to himself. There was rustling noises, and he sighed. "Okay princess, this might sting a little."
It felt like something bit her knee, and she pulled her lip between her teeth to keep from crying out. Then something bit her other knee, and she clenched her fists in her jacket, trying not to whimper.
"Almost done, sweetheart," Raphael murmured. He was pressing something that felt sticky to her knees - band-aids? "There we go," he declared at last, sounding satisfied. "All finished."
"Aren'tcha gonna kiss it better?" she asked curiously.
There was a very long silence, and she thought he muttered something to himself. Then something rubbery brushed very lightly against each of her knees. "There. You good now?" he demanded.
She bit her lip, nodding. She wondered what she did to make him so angry now. Did she do something wrong?
"What's the matter?" he asked suddenly, sounding upset.
"Nothin'," she said quickly, shaking her head.
"Abby ... I thought we talked about this bein' honest with me stuff."
She cringed, lowering her chin. " ... 're you still mad a' me?" she asked softly.
" ... What? Why would you think I was mad atcha?"
She shrugged a little. "You sound mad."
He sighed. "I'm ... I'm not mad. Jus' ... frustrated."
"Why are you frus'rated?"
"Why d' *you* ask so many questions?" he countered, and a finger lightly tapped her chin.
She looked up, giving him a shy smile. "M' a kid. I'm s'posed t' ask questions."
He laughed. "Okay, I'll give ya that one. Now, are we all done in here? Your knees feelin' better?"
She nodded, smiling brightly.
"All right. Let's go out an' see everybody before Leo has a heart attack."
She giggled as he picked her up again. "I *told* 'im he worries too much."
"You ain't the first princess, and you sure as - uh, sure won't be the last."
She snuggled as he walked. She liked it when Raphael carried her. He wasn't warm like Daddy had been, but he had big arms that made her feel safe. And he always kept a hand on her back or touching her hair. It felt nice.
"Abby! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"
She giggled, ducking her head. "Hi, Michaelang'lo."
"Hey, I thought you were calling me Mikey now?" He sounded like he was pouting.
She smiled. "Sorry, Mikey."
"What happened to your knees?" Leonardo asked. He seemed unhappy for some reason.
She bit her lip, hoping it wasn't because of her. "I tripped when I was seein' Raphael's room," she mumbled.
"My weights," Raphael spoke up, and his hand rubbed her back. "I gotta clean up my room later."
"Uh ... That's a good point." Donatello sounded worried. " ... Maybe you should just shut your door, Mikey."
"Hey! I can clean up, too you know!"
"You can?" Now Leonardo sounded amused. Raphael's family was confusing.
"Why's everybody always gotta pick on me, huh?" Michaelangelo whined.
"'Cause it's easy," Raphael retorted, and she was abruptly set down.
She tried not to squeak in surprise. She really wished they'd *warn* her before doing things like that.
Raphael's hand paused to touch the top of her head for a moment, and then he was moving back. "All right princess, here's the deal," he began. "You said you've got no other family, right?"
She shook her head. "It was jus' me an' Daddy." Her heart hurt thinking about it, and she looked down again.
"Well, we've talked it over, and - "
"You get to stay with us from now on!" Michaelangelo burst out, talking over Leonardo eagerly.
It was too good to be true. "Really?" she asked hopefully, looking around.
"Jus' until we find ya someplace better," Raphael warned. "But until then, you c'n stay."
She looked at him as she slowly began to smile. "For reals? You *promise*?"
"For real," he assured her.
She beamed. "I c'n stay forever?!"
"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Raphael protested. "I said until we find someplace better! That's *not* the same thing!"
She frowned. "So ... you don' want me here?"
"*No*!"
She jumped as more than one person yelled, looking around wildly.
Raphael sighed on her left, and she looked back at him hesitantly. "It's not that we don' want ya here, princess. It's jus' ... Donnie, help me out here."
"This isn't a good place for a kid like you to stay, Abby," Donatello explained. "We don't want you to feel like you *have* to leave ... It's just ... Well, a sewer is no place for a little girl to grow up."
"But all o' you grew up here, didn' you?" she pointed out.
"Well, yeah but - "
"And you grew up great!"
" ... Thanks?"
"We're mutants, Abby," Leonardo interrupted, speaking in that gentle voice he'd used before. "You're a human. You could get sick, or hurt. You need to be around other people."
"We *want* you here - believe me, we argued about what we'll do without ya," Michaelangelo put in. "But it's not a good idea for you to stay forever."
She frowned again, folding her arms. "Why not?"
"Because it's not safe," Donatello told her again.
She scowled. "S' safe for all o' you."
"That's different. We're older than you," Leonardo said patiently.
"And we're ninjas," Michaelangelo added.
"So then you c'n protect me."
There was an awkward pause.
"But here in the lair isn't safe either, Abby," Donatello tried. "There's all sorts of things around that you could hurt yourself on. And if you didn't see something that got left out, or didn't know what was going on - "
"So tell me," she interrupted. She wasn't supposed to interrupt when grownups were talking, but she was determined to make them see they were wrong. "Once I see where everythin' is, I'll know where not t' go. An' if you leave somethin' out, tell me."
"We might forget - "
She shrugged. "I c'n be careful."
Another pause.
"You need to be able to see sunshine, and play with other kids," Leonardo said eventually. "Talk to people."
"I don' see the sun," she reminded him pointedly. "An' I c'n talk an' play with all o' you."
"You may not *see* the sun Abby, but that doesn't mean your skin doesn't need it," Donatello sighed. "The sun provides certain nutrients that your body needs to absorb - "
"So you c'n take me up with you when you go."
There was a thumping noise from somewhere.
"Look, princess. This is only temporary. You're jus' stayin' here while we find ya a better place ta go, understood?" Raphael demanded finally.
She hesitated because he sounded mad again, but Raphael had *said* he wasn't mad at her, and he made her promise to be honest ... "But this *is* better," she said finally.
"Abby ... " he groaned.
"It is!" she argued. "I've got lotsa people who care 'bout me and wan' me t' be safe an' healthy. I got a bed, an' food, an' I'm not gettin' rained on or chased by Bad Men no more."
"You can find that in a lot of places, kiddo."
"But *you're* here!" she shot back. "An' you won' be nowhere else!"
There was a long silence as she scowled at Raphael.
"Dudes, are we sure she's not really Raph's kid or something? 'Cause the resemblance is just *scary*," Michaelangelo whispered in that voice that people used when they thought she couldn't hear them. "*Ow*!" he yelped louder.
She smiled wistfully at the thought. Raphael would be a good daddy.
For some reason, she had the feeling that everyone was staring at her, but she didn't know why.
I also made this new icon expressly for this story. But it's pretty and I like it, so that makes it okay. ^_^V
Title: The Painter's Princess: Honesty
Relationship: non-romantic Raphael/OC
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are sadly not mine, in any incarnation. Thank goodness for fans, or stuff like this might actually have happened.
Warning: Some OOC, author's attempts at writing accents and lisps
Summary: Raphael brings home a stray that makes him - and everyone else - see himself through different eyes.
Author's Notes: This chapter is dedicated to phantom_blue and m14mouse, because I was totally shocked to get comments on something I wrote for me and posted for the hell of it. Let alone supportive ones. ^.^;;
Miss Linda's apartment didn't have the special things that told time for her, like Daddy had. But the key had been where it was supposed to be, and there was food in the fridge. She made herself a snack and tried her best to clean up after, 'cause Miss Linda didn't like messes. She kept the TV on, waiting for the Six O'clock News. Miss April was on the Six O'clock News, and after she was done Miss Linda would be coming home. That should be plenty of time.
She found one of her old coats that she'd forgotten the last time she was here after a long search, but there was nothing she could borrow for a new cane that Miss Linda wouldn't miss. Miss Linda didn't like her much, but she didn't want to be mean. It wasn't Miss Linda's fault she was ... diff'cult.
She listened to Miss April talk about how bad things were, and wanted to tell her she was wrong, because there were people like Raphael and his brothers to protect everyone. They'd make it better and keep people safe. She knew they would.
But then the news was over, and she had to go.
She put everything back *exactly* the way she thought it was, 'cause Miss Linda didn't like stuff out of place. And then she took a deep breath, and reached for the doorknob. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she couldn't stay here. She had to be brave.
Daddy would want her to be brave.
She took the elevator down to the ground floor, zipping up her jacket carefully as she waited for it to stop. No one was around to stop her, not that she thought they would if they had been. She hesitated again at the front door, her hands squeezing the push bar harder than they should have.
She shook her head. She had to be brave. She could be brave. She could.
It was cold outside, colder than she'd expected, and she shivered a little in her jacket. The street was quieter too, and she trailed one hand along the building as she walked, trying not to shiver again. Where could she go ... There were shelters, she knew that. Maybe the police station? They might know where to take her. But the police station was three blocks away, and she didn't dare try and call a cab. Not that she had any money, anyway.
She bit her lip, trying not to sniffle. Be brave. Be brave, she chanted to herself. Daddy would want me to be brave. And Raphael would want ... I *think* he'd want me to be brave. She hesitated, bringing her free hand up to her chin. She stopped herself just before she gave into the urge to suck her thumb, because she was too old for that now. I want Raphael! she cried silently.
No. She had to be brave! She wasn't going to cause trouble anymore. Not for anyone.
Someone cleared their throat loudly behind her, and she screamed, spinning around. "P-p-please d-don't hurt me!"
"You mind tellin' me exactly what it is you're doin' out here?" a very familiar voice demanded.
She froze. "R-Raphael?"
"Nevermind'n the fact that it's almost seven at night, in *New York*, and *dark*, exactly what are you doin' out here, by yerself, when I just dropped you off at home?!"
She flinched at his tone, pressing back against the wall. "I-I-I ... I-I w-was .... "
"You was *what*, Abigail?"
She swallowed. "I-I w-was gonna g-g-go t' ... the 'lice s-s-station," she stammered.
"And why didn' ya jus' call from home?"
She winced, looking down. "M-Miss Linda d-d-doesn't like m-me usin' the ph-phone," she mumbled.
There was a pause. "*Miss* Linda? I thought you said she was yer grandma."
She bit her lip.
"Abigail ... " he growled.
"N-not ... e'zactly?" she offered tentatively.
He sighed, and there was a weird noise that made her think he might be grinding his teeth. "Then what, *exactly*, is she?"
"M' s-s-sitter," she told his feet.
Another pause. "What?"
"Well ... n-not ... not really no m-more," she explained miserably, still looking down. "She ... she doesn' like to watch me 'less Daddy *really* needs it. Says it's too much trouble."
Raphael was moving around a lot now, shuffling his feet and muttering words she wasn't supposed to know under his breath. He sounded *real* mad, and she stayed quiet, not wanting to make him madder. "So when I asked you, if you had any relatives lookin' for ya - "
She shook her head slowly.
"Abby." His voice was sharp.
She cringed. "M-m-mommy ... left after ... 'fter I couldn't see no more," she whispered. "S' just me an' Daddy. An' n-now ... " She swallowed hard, trying not to cry.
"Ya don' have any grandparents? Aunts or uncles?"
She shook her head again.
"So ya lied to me."
She closed her eyes, trying not to cry. "D-d-didn't ... didn't want ... "
There was a sigh, and he was couched in front of her, his hand on her cheek. "Breathe, princess." It wasn't as gentle as the way he talked to her before, but he didn't sound quite as mad now. "Deep breaths, remember? Calm down."
She inhaled obediently, and felt him cup her chin when she let it out, making her look up. "Now. Tell me again. Why'd you lie?"
"Didn' wanna be trouble," she whispered. She felt her cheek get wet again, and tried to wipe it away. "You ... you an' t' others ... I don' got nowhere t' go. I didn' wanna be a b-burden ... "
He sighed again, and she was pulled into a hug. "Now who the he - heck taught ya a word like that, huh?"
"Mommy," she told his coat softly. "She said it t' Daddy ... 'fore she left. Said havin' a blind girl was ... was a burden ... And Miss Linda always says it's trouble .... "
His arms tightened around her.
He pulled away suddenly, his hands on her shoulders and she tried to look at where his face was. "I want you ta promise me somethin', Abby. Promise me that no matter what, you ain't gonna lie to me ever, *ever* again, capiche? No matter *what*."
She bit her lip, nodding slowly. "I promise," she whispered.
There was another sigh, and she felt herself get picked up. "All right, then. I guess we're goin' back ta the lair."
She looked up in surprise. "Huh? But - "
"Ya said there was no where else for ya to go, right?"
She hesitated and shook her head.
"Then you're comin' back home with me."
"But ... What about Master Spin'ter an' the others?"
"What about 'em? You think we're just gonna turn you out on your ear, kid? I don' *think* so."
She smiled slowly, feeling shy, and hesitantly wrapped her arms back around his neck. "Told you you're a good person, Raphael," she mumbled.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
****
She woke up up again on something soft, bundled in blankets. She sat up slowly, rubbing her face and listening. "Raphael?" she called tentatively.
There was no answer.
She bit her lip. If she waited, someone might come and tell her where she was ... but .... That was boring. And lazy. If she wanted to know something, she should find the answers herself. That's what Mommy had always said.
So she felt carefully around the blankets, eventually determining that she was on a pad on the floor. Climbing slowly to her feet, she stretched her arms out in front of her, shuffling her feet forward until her fingers touched a wall. Okay, she had a place to start.
She worked her away around the room, feeling the size, the rough texture of the walls. It was brick, but cold and damp, making her hands wet. She wiped them on her jacket before touching anything else, but kept one hand trailing along the wall. There was something tall and sort of cushy, but it was falling apart and taped together again. There was a net hanging in a corner, and something heavy and cold that she stumbled over in the center, by the cushy thing. She whimpered when she fell on her knees, but rolled over to feel for it. Something metal ... She couldn't lift it, it was *way* too heavy.
She heard hurried footsteps, and a door slid open. "Abby?!" Raphael demanded.
She looked up, brightening at the sound of his voice. "Raphael! There you are!"
"Sorry princess, I was gonna be here when ya woke up. Didn't think you'd get up this fast." He sounded guilty. "You okay? ... Hey, you're bleedin'!"
She frowned at herself. "I am? Where?"
"Looks like ya scraped yer knees when ya fell." He came closer, lifting her carefully into the air and holding her against his chest. "Sorry, princess. I thought those weights were outta the way."
"S' tha' what they were?" she asked curiously. "I was seein' the room an' I fell."
"Yeah ... that's ... not exactly ... Um, I'll clean it up later, princess."
"Okay." She snuggled close to him. "Where's everyone else?"
"They're uh, downstairs. We'll go find 'em once I'm done with yer knees, okay sweetheart?"
"Okay."
"Raph?" she heard Leonardo call. "Is everything all right?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it's fine, Leo. We'll be there in a few."
She was set down on something cold, and she felt along with her fingertips. A sink, she decided. She stayed still, letting her fingers wander as Raphael searched for something.
"There we are," he muttered to himself. There was rustling noises, and he sighed. "Okay princess, this might sting a little."
It felt like something bit her knee, and she pulled her lip between her teeth to keep from crying out. Then something bit her other knee, and she clenched her fists in her jacket, trying not to whimper.
"Almost done, sweetheart," Raphael murmured. He was pressing something that felt sticky to her knees - band-aids? "There we go," he declared at last, sounding satisfied. "All finished."
"Aren'tcha gonna kiss it better?" she asked curiously.
There was a very long silence, and she thought he muttered something to himself. Then something rubbery brushed very lightly against each of her knees. "There. You good now?" he demanded.
She bit her lip, nodding. She wondered what she did to make him so angry now. Did she do something wrong?
"What's the matter?" he asked suddenly, sounding upset.
"Nothin'," she said quickly, shaking her head.
"Abby ... I thought we talked about this bein' honest with me stuff."
She cringed, lowering her chin. " ... 're you still mad a' me?" she asked softly.
" ... What? Why would you think I was mad atcha?"
She shrugged a little. "You sound mad."
He sighed. "I'm ... I'm not mad. Jus' ... frustrated."
"Why are you frus'rated?"
"Why d' *you* ask so many questions?" he countered, and a finger lightly tapped her chin.
She looked up, giving him a shy smile. "M' a kid. I'm s'posed t' ask questions."
He laughed. "Okay, I'll give ya that one. Now, are we all done in here? Your knees feelin' better?"
She nodded, smiling brightly.
"All right. Let's go out an' see everybody before Leo has a heart attack."
She giggled as he picked her up again. "I *told* 'im he worries too much."
"You ain't the first princess, and you sure as - uh, sure won't be the last."
She snuggled as he walked. She liked it when Raphael carried her. He wasn't warm like Daddy had been, but he had big arms that made her feel safe. And he always kept a hand on her back or touching her hair. It felt nice.
"Abby! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"
She giggled, ducking her head. "Hi, Michaelang'lo."
"Hey, I thought you were calling me Mikey now?" He sounded like he was pouting.
She smiled. "Sorry, Mikey."
"What happened to your knees?" Leonardo asked. He seemed unhappy for some reason.
She bit her lip, hoping it wasn't because of her. "I tripped when I was seein' Raphael's room," she mumbled.
"My weights," Raphael spoke up, and his hand rubbed her back. "I gotta clean up my room later."
"Uh ... That's a good point." Donatello sounded worried. " ... Maybe you should just shut your door, Mikey."
"Hey! I can clean up, too you know!"
"You can?" Now Leonardo sounded amused. Raphael's family was confusing.
"Why's everybody always gotta pick on me, huh?" Michaelangelo whined.
"'Cause it's easy," Raphael retorted, and she was abruptly set down.
She tried not to squeak in surprise. She really wished they'd *warn* her before doing things like that.
Raphael's hand paused to touch the top of her head for a moment, and then he was moving back. "All right princess, here's the deal," he began. "You said you've got no other family, right?"
She shook her head. "It was jus' me an' Daddy." Her heart hurt thinking about it, and she looked down again.
"Well, we've talked it over, and - "
"You get to stay with us from now on!" Michaelangelo burst out, talking over Leonardo eagerly.
It was too good to be true. "Really?" she asked hopefully, looking around.
"Jus' until we find ya someplace better," Raphael warned. "But until then, you c'n stay."
She looked at him as she slowly began to smile. "For reals? You *promise*?"
"For real," he assured her.
She beamed. "I c'n stay forever?!"
"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Raphael protested. "I said until we find someplace better! That's *not* the same thing!"
She frowned. "So ... you don' want me here?"
"*No*!"
She jumped as more than one person yelled, looking around wildly.
Raphael sighed on her left, and she looked back at him hesitantly. "It's not that we don' want ya here, princess. It's jus' ... Donnie, help me out here."
"This isn't a good place for a kid like you to stay, Abby," Donatello explained. "We don't want you to feel like you *have* to leave ... It's just ... Well, a sewer is no place for a little girl to grow up."
"But all o' you grew up here, didn' you?" she pointed out.
"Well, yeah but - "
"And you grew up great!"
" ... Thanks?"
"We're mutants, Abby," Leonardo interrupted, speaking in that gentle voice he'd used before. "You're a human. You could get sick, or hurt. You need to be around other people."
"We *want* you here - believe me, we argued about what we'll do without ya," Michaelangelo put in. "But it's not a good idea for you to stay forever."
She frowned again, folding her arms. "Why not?"
"Because it's not safe," Donatello told her again.
She scowled. "S' safe for all o' you."
"That's different. We're older than you," Leonardo said patiently.
"And we're ninjas," Michaelangelo added.
"So then you c'n protect me."
There was an awkward pause.
"But here in the lair isn't safe either, Abby," Donatello tried. "There's all sorts of things around that you could hurt yourself on. And if you didn't see something that got left out, or didn't know what was going on - "
"So tell me," she interrupted. She wasn't supposed to interrupt when grownups were talking, but she was determined to make them see they were wrong. "Once I see where everythin' is, I'll know where not t' go. An' if you leave somethin' out, tell me."
"We might forget - "
She shrugged. "I c'n be careful."
Another pause.
"You need to be able to see sunshine, and play with other kids," Leonardo said eventually. "Talk to people."
"I don' see the sun," she reminded him pointedly. "An' I c'n talk an' play with all o' you."
"You may not *see* the sun Abby, but that doesn't mean your skin doesn't need it," Donatello sighed. "The sun provides certain nutrients that your body needs to absorb - "
"So you c'n take me up with you when you go."
There was a thumping noise from somewhere.
"Look, princess. This is only temporary. You're jus' stayin' here while we find ya a better place ta go, understood?" Raphael demanded finally.
She hesitated because he sounded mad again, but Raphael had *said* he wasn't mad at her, and he made her promise to be honest ... "But this *is* better," she said finally.
"Abby ... " he groaned.
"It is!" she argued. "I've got lotsa people who care 'bout me and wan' me t' be safe an' healthy. I got a bed, an' food, an' I'm not gettin' rained on or chased by Bad Men no more."
"You can find that in a lot of places, kiddo."
"But *you're* here!" she shot back. "An' you won' be nowhere else!"
There was a long silence as she scowled at Raphael.
"Dudes, are we sure she's not really Raph's kid or something? 'Cause the resemblance is just *scary*," Michaelangelo whispered in that voice that people used when they thought she couldn't hear them. "*Ow*!" he yelped louder.
She smiled wistfully at the thought. Raphael would be a good daddy.
For some reason, she had the feeling that everyone was staring at her, but she didn't know why.