#14muffinz

April stood at the window of her apartment, staring out of it. She raised her hands to her face, pressing the flats of her fingers on her nose, breathing out a heavy breath into her palms. It wasn’t as calming as she would have liked.

“Ape? Ya good?” Casey asked, coming up behind her.

April lowered her hands, letting out another sigh. “Yeah. I’m just—Casey are we doing the right thing?”

Casey’s hands came to rest on her shoulders, giving them a little squeeze and lightly massaging them for a moment. “Well, it’s like ya said. We want the kid to know both of his families.”

April’s hand dropped to her belly, it showing at twenty-two weeks along. “That’s true,” she said. “And your mother took it well.”

She could see Casey grimace in the reflection of the window. “Yeah well… Ma’s a special case.” He glanced out the window. “I hope she ain’t givin’ your sister too hard a time.”

April gave him a wry grin in the reflection of the window. “You and me both. But it was nice of her to volunteer to pick Robyn up from the airport and bring her here.”

“I ain’t sure nice is the word for it,” Casey said. “Ma’s probably got her own agenda. But she ain’t gonna spill the beans until it’s time, at least.”

April laughed lightly. “She definitely is a woman who knows when to keep something to herself, and when to say something.” April turned back from the window to look at Casey. “Are the guys here yet?”

He nodded, keeping his hands on her shoulders and pulling her in a little. “Yeah. They’re down in the store right now, stayin’ outta sight until you’ve had a chance to explain things to Robyn.”

April nodded, but then sighed again, crossing her arms and holding onto her elbows. “I wish this wasn’t so difficult.”

Casey leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead, and then drew her into his arms. “I know, babe. But you and me and Master Splinter and the guys talked this up one way and down the other. There wasn’t any other way to figure it.”

April leaned into him. “I know,” she said softly. “I just… wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

Casey gave her a squeeze, but there really wasn’t anything to say to that.

“Psst! Lovebirds!” Mikey’s voice drifted up from the stairwell that led down into the shop. “Mama Jones has been spotted and she has the parcel. I repeat, Mama Jones has been spotted and she has the parcel.”

The two broke apart, and turned to see Mikey peeking his head up, a finger held to the side of his head as if he were a secret agent using an earpiece.

April grinned at him. “They you better disappear, Mr. Wise Guy.”

Mikey grinned back at her. “You’ve got this, April!” he said, flashing her a big grin and a thumbs up before disappearing silently.

It was only seconds later before there was the sound of someone opening the door in the back stairwell, and April took a breath in, straightening her shoulders.

“Showtime,” Casey muttered as the voices drew closer to the door to the apartment.

A knock sounded on the door, and April hurried forward to answer it.

There was the usual squealing of happiness at seeing each other, Robyn being absolutely amazed that her little sister was pregnant. For the first thirty minutes or so, everyone just chatted, catching up. Robyn told them of the opportunities that she was pursuing along the east coast. Casey told them how well things had been going at work. April told Robyn about the pregnancy, and about how much of a help Casey’s mom had been. Ms. Jones—Jackie—told them some stories about Casey growing up, much to Casey’s dismay, and the girls’ delight. Eventually, though, the laughter and conversation petered out and Robyn glanced around at all of them.

“…I am glad that you have someone here to help you,” Robyn said, sending Jackie a grateful smile. “With Mom gone, and me being no help, it’s nice to know that you have a support system.”

The other three exchanged looks.

“That’s actually why I wanted you to come by, Robyn,” April said, setting her (decaffeinated) cup of coffee down.

“Oh?” Robyn said, her curiosity piqued. She looked as if she had been expecting a change in topic, and April wasn’t surprised. Robyn was observant.

April took a bit of a breath, hoping that she’d find the right words to say. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Robyn. Remember how you asked how Casey and I met, and I said it was through mutual friends?”

Robyn nodded. “I do. You wouldn’t say much about those mutual friends. You never have.”

April nodded. “There’s a reason for that. Those friends—they’re a big part of my, of our, life. They’re the reason Casey and I met. They’re the reason that we’re still together. They’re the reason we’re still alive through everything that’s happened. But more than that, over the years that we’ve known them, they’ve become more than friends. They’re family.”

Robyn leaned forward obviously intrigued. “Go on,” she said.

“It’s a small family. A single father raising for boys. He’s raised them alone all of their lives, and, from what I understand, they didn’t often have the best living conditions,” she said. “But they are the kindest, most caring people I know. They’ll risk it all to help strangers, even if the strangers will never know it. And they will and have dropped everything to come help me. Their father, he’s become like a father to me as well, the guys? They’re like my little brothers.”

“Mine, too,” Casey said. “It’s like, we came rolling into each other’s lives and after that it was a done deal. They’re my little bros, and, well, the closest thing I’ve had to a father since my own Pa passed.”

Jackie reached over and squeezed her son’s hand, but she didn’t interrupt, letting April and Casey take the lead on the conversation.

“Okay,” Robyn said, drawing out the word and looking between the three of them as if she might find some sort of answer in them. “If they’re that important to you, then what’s the big deal? How come you won’t talk about them to me?”

“They… have a complicated situation,” April said. “But even with that, I want them to be a part of the baby’s life.” She reached out and took Robyn’s hand. “But I want you to be a part of the baby’s life, too. And to make that happen, they’ve agreed to meet you.”

Robyn squeezed April’s hand back, but she still shot them all a confused and guarded look. “You know I can keep a secret, April. Look, I don’t know what kind of complicated situation this is, but if it’s like, I don’t know, witness protection or something, I won’t say a word.”

“If only,” Casey muttered, and April and Jackie both elbowed him.

“Ow! Babe! Ma!”

“Keep yer gob shut unless you’re gonna help, Arnold,” Jackie scolded him.

Casey rubbed his stomach, but didn’t say anything else.

April gripped Robyn’s hands tighter, drawing her sister’s attention back to her. “You have to promise me to keep an open mind, alright?” April said. “Keep an open mind and let us explain.”

Robyn began to look a little uncomfortable, but she nodded. April kept a hold of her hands.

“Alright guys.  You can come up now,” she called out.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs—something April knew they were doing on purpose, to make their arrival less startling, and within a few seconds the first green head—Leonardo—popped into view. Robyn took in an audible breath and tensed up, automatically shifting away. April kept a firm grip on her hands. Robyn gasped in disbelief, sounding as if she were trying to form words, but not getting them out. Her eyes widened and she let out a high-pitched sound as Splinter appeared and started trying to move away. April didn’t let her.

Leo bowed to her, as did they all, and he spoke first. “Hello,” he said, politely, his tone even. “We’re pleased to meet you.”

A strangled sort of scream escaped Robyn, and she began to try to move back in earnest, only this time, she grabbed April’s hands, too, trying to pull her sister with her.

“April!” she said, her voice shaking, pitching high. “April, those—those are the aliens that tried to kill the president! Here! In your home! We—we’ve got to leave! Now!”

“Robyn, calm down,” April said, trying to soothe her sister. “They didn’t try to kill the president. They were trying to save him.”

Robyn wasn’t hearing April, though, practically climbing over the side of the couch and pulling April along with her. “April—April, come on!”

Jackie’s hands landed on Robyn’s shoulders, and Robyn let out a little shriek, looking as if she had almost forgotten the other woman was in the room.

“Calm down, dear, and hear the turtles and rat out,” she said.

Robyn let out another high-pitched distressed noise and looked at Jackie and Casey with wide eyes. “Why aren’t you doing anything?!” she said, clearly panicked.

April tugged on Robyn’s hands again, pulling her sister back towards the couch. “Because it’s okay, Robyn,” she said.

Casey stood up. “Robyn. Trust me. If these guys were a threat to your sister, I wouldn’t just be standin’ here. I’d be tellin’ her, you, and Ma to run, and I’d be rumblin’, knowin’ I was about to go down. But it’d be worth it to protect all of you, and my kid. But these guys?” he stepped to the side a little indicating the others, “These guys are the only people I’d trust without question to protect April and our kid.”

Robyn was looking between all of them, her eyes still wide. “You’re all crazy,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

“Please,” Splinter stepped forward, and Robyn let out a squeak. “Allow us to explain, Miss O’Neil.”

Robyn was still shaking, but she looked back at April.

“Please, Robyn?” April said. “Trust me.”

Robyn didn’t look happy about it, but she swallowed and nodded, clearly digging into the O’Neil grit, and took a breath. “Alright,” she said, her voice stronger, even with the shake in it. “Alright. Explain.”

The explanation took a while, but Robyn calmed more as it went on. She listened, as promised, but April could tell that she was observing, too. She watched as Mikey and Leo made themselves at home in her kitchen, making some hot chocolate and snacks for everyone. She watched as Raph and Casey picked at each other, until Jackie scolded both of them, and they relented with respectful apologies. She watched as Don went around just fixing up things as he saw need. She watched as Splinter treated April as a daughter, small gestures that were reminiscent of their own father. And she watched as all of them doted on April, making sure that she had everything she needed.

Robyn finally sat back, her mug of hot chocolate long since cooled, and took a deep breath in.

“I’m not going to lie,” she finally said. “This is… a lot. Mutants, ninjas, aliens that didn’t invade the planet…” she shook her head and peered at Mikey. “Are you really a member of the Justice Force?”

“Yep!” he said with a grin. “Want me to call my pal, Silver Sentry? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind backing us up—especially if April’s got any of her cookies around!”

Robyn glanced at April.

“I used Great-Aunt Louise’s recipe,” she said.

“That explains it,” Robyn said. She sat her mug down. “I’m still pretty weirded out by all of this. I mean—who wouldn’t be?”

“Casey,” Raph said.

“And Ms. Jones,” Leo said.

“It’s a family trait, dear,” Jackie replied. “He gets it from my side.”

“Okay, well, aside from them, I think my point still stands,” Robyn said. She ran a hand through her hair. “This crazy stuff.”

“Then we have come to a moment of decision,” Splinter said, and everyone in the room stilled.

Robyn frowned and looked at him. “A moment of decision?” she repeated.

Splinter nodded. “Yes. At the moment, we have put our fate in your hands. Tell me, Miss O’Neil, what will you do with it? You could very easily expose us and drive us away from your sister. Or you could say nothing and allow our family to stay together. The decision is in your hands.”

April looked at Robyn, knowing what she wanted her sister to say and hoping that she would.

Robyn laced her fingers together, placing them in her lap and looked around at the room. No one was moving, everyone collectively holding their breath, waiting.

“This is still rather hard to believe,” she said. “And I’m staring right at it. But I trust my sister. And it sounds like you’ve saved her more than once and helped bring back Uncle Auggie, who—” she winced, “—I might owe an apology to after all of this. His stories are a little more believable now. But I owe all of you, too.” Robyn shook her head. “I won’t say anything. But I am going to have to take time to get used to this, and to all of you.”

“That’s fair,” Leo said.

“So, you’re alright with it?” April asked.

“I’m not sure ‘alright’ is the right word,” Robyn said, turning to April, her lips quirking up in a smile. “But April. You’re my sister. And they are clearly important to you. I’m not going to take that from you.”

April threw her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly. Robyn returned the embrace and April found herself sniffing a little.

“Thank you, Robyn. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

Robyn squeezed her. “I hope I find out how much it does,” she said back.

“Alright!” Mikey said, breaking the moment, and the two sisters pulled away from each other. “This calls for a celebration!” He rocketed to his feet. “April, whatever you want, it’s yours! Peanut butter and pickle ice cream? Pizza roles covered in sour cream and hot sauce? Karai’s personal lunch stolen right off her desk? Hot chocolate from Area 51? Whatever you want, you’ve got dibs, and I’ll go make it!”

April laughed. “Nothing quite like that, Mike. How about just some pizza?”

“Handmade pizza it is!” Mikey said. “Call out your toppings now, everyone, or live with the consequences!”

“I’ll come give you a hand,” Jackie said. “Someone has to make sure you don’t poison my grandchild.”

“Heeeey,” Mikey whined, following the woman into the kitchen.

Raph and Casey snickered, until her voice came out of the kitchen, cracking like a whip. “Arnold! Raphael! Go to the store and pick up more food! I’ve seen how much this one can eat.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Yes, Ma.”

“If you don’t mind, April, I’m going to give your computer a bit of an upgrade,” Don said. “I’ve got some new programs to add on to it that should help with your security.”

Robyn looked at Don curiously. “Really? What kind of programs are those?” she asked.

“My own ones,” Don said. “Here—I’ll show you.”

The sound of a hand being whacked with a wooden spoon and an exclamation came from the kitchen, and Leo sighed.

“I’ll go help in the kitchen,” Leo said. “Just in case.”

April watched everyone go their separate ways, and gave a sigh, leaning back on the couch. She tilted her head back, and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. The couch dipped next to her, and she opened her eyes to look over and see Splinter sitting next to her.

“Family,” he said after a moment, “will always be family. And you will always be part of ours, my daughter. You, and your own family.”

“Thank you, Master Splinter. And thank you for risking so much, just for my child.”

Splinter merely hummed, clearly content just to sit there, and April closed her eyes again, listening to the life in her home.