Despite everything that had been going on in the lair lately, Mona Lisa was restless. Even the extra hours she spent in her lessons with Donatello learning basic science and mathematics did little to help her release all of her pent-up energy. Training with Master Splinter had become relatively mundane. It just wasn't challenging anymore. She had been asking to move forward for days now, but every attempt was met with a kind pat on the shoulder and a demand that she be patient. She was tired of being patient. On top of all of that she knew that the turtles were slowly laying down plans for the future now that Raphael was back into near optimum condition.

Silent though she was, Mona Lisa was slowly getting fed up with her lover's constant attempts to shield her. One of the qualities that had drawn her to Raphael in the first place had been the way he treated her like an equal rather than a child. She loved his protective streak too, she always had, but she didn't appreciate being left out of the loop. She could hear their whispers traveling through the lab door when they gathered to plan. She knew they were discussing in detail the records that Donatello had found. She also knew that Raphael was only trying to spare her the pain that would accompany that information, but she deserved to know it. Hadn't he said that himself? Wasn't that the point of all this? Wasn't that why Raph had refused to kill this scientist, so that she could learn the entire truth about everything that had happened to her? Mona Lisa wasn't stupid. She knew that despite Raphael's argument to Leo that they needed to know the truth, the 'they' in that sentence meant Raphael. The hothead probably intended to go in on his own and bring whatever information he gleaned out of their enemy back with him. But Mona didn't want it to be that way. Not this time. She didn't want to have to wait at the lair knowing that Raphael could be in mortal danger. She didn't ever want to have to relive the anguish of the turtles returning without a brother.

So she had to keep training. She had to keep moving ahead. She just had if she wanted to accompany them on their mission to find her scientist tormentor. Her lime-green eyelids snapped open as she heard the gentle slide of the painted door that led to the room behind the dojo. Long, striped tail twitching, she turned to look up into the face of the old rat.

"Mona Lisa, it is late. You should rest."

She pulled her eyes away and resumed her lotus position. Splinter sighed and crossed the room slowly, his long tail rubbing softly against the floorboards with a gentle swish. It wasn't until she felt a firm claw on her shoulder that she met his eyes again. He must have caught the restlessness and frustration in her eyes because he sighed and knelt beside her.

"My student, you wish to know why I have not allowed you to advance?"

That got her attention. She looked up at the old rat and noticed how prophetic he looked in the dim glow of the candles. Drawing her tail behind her and pulling her knees together, Mona leaned forward impatiently.

"The next step of your training involves the selection of a weapon."

Mona Lisa sat back on her haunches. So that was it. She opened her mouth to object but Splinter silenced her.

"A weapon may only be entrusted to a student once their master feels that they are prepared for the challenges of true combat. Mona Lisa, though you have taken great stride in your physical and emotional training thus far, there are still many painful memories locked away inside of you. I have seen the way that you react to blades and needles. Such a reaction in the midst of a battle would allow any enemy the ability to end you. Allowing you to go out into battle with my sons would create danger for you and for them. Until you can prove to me that you have conquered your fear, I cannot grant you permission to advance." Master Splinter hung his head as she jumped to her feet and growled. Though he knew that this decision would anger her, he could see no other option. He could sense her rage, hurt and disappointment, but he knew no words that would ease her conscience. Mona Lisa turned her back to the old rat, her tail twitching madly. Splinter watched her fists clench repeatedly. He sighed, his whiskers bending low at the sight. Then, the next thing he knew, she had turned on him and his ears shot upright with wariness. Seldom had he seen such rage. Fortunately, this anger was not directed at him.

"I will keep practicing Master Splinter. I will get strong. I will conquer my fear. I swear it."

A breeze swept through the dojo as she flung open the door into the main room and the next thing the old rat knew, he was kneeling alone in a dark, empty room.

————————————

Outside, Mona wandered up and down the length of the main room, desperate to vent her newfound frustration. With a low growl she considered returning to her room, but after a few steps down the hall she doubled back. Raphael might hear her moving around and come to see what wrong. And if not Raph, then possibly Leo or one of the others. She whirled around intent upon finding some way to cool off, when she recognized the familiar sight of light peeking out from the bottom of the double doors that led to Donatello's lab. Slowly she crept inside and glanced around. It was well past two in the morning. And the genius was sound asleep on the small cot he kept in the corner for nights when he was working late. Mad as she was, the sight of the brainiac curled up on the bed made her melt a little. She grabbed a blanket from the cabinet and lay it gently over him before turning to make her way out. In her haste to leave before she woke him, Mona jostled the computer table gently, her tail brushing lightly over the touchpad of Donatello's laptop. The screen lit up and she immediately turned to it, intent to close it and douse the light, but her hand froze, her fingers shifting to grip the monitor more tightly.

Project SX71364

Project Head: Professor Rouge Knight

Slowly, a trembling green hand reached over to the keypad. It took a couple of tries before her touch was steady enough to scroll down as she desired to, but as soon as she did, she gasped. The picture of a middle-aged woman with long, straight hair and dark eyes leapt off the screen. Mona's eyes closed, though she didn't realize it at first.

"Get on with your life! All you've ever done since Clari died is try to take her place! Well, you can't! Stay away from my daughter and stay away from me!" A man shouted. "Get out of my house! I don't ever want you coming near me or my daughter again!"

"I love you, can't you see that?! I want to help you!"

"I don't need your help!" The man's voice yelled, echoing down the hallway. He looked around uncertain, fearing being overheard. He leant down towards her and said more softly, "I don't trust you with Alicia. I've seen the look in your eyes whenever you're near her. You can't stand the sight of her. I care for you, Rosie, but I won't condemn my daughter to a life of cruelty. She needs love. And I know that's something you'll never be able to give to her."

"I love you, Wayne." The woman repeated.

The man's face darkened and he took a step towards her. One of his hands rose to her cheek and his thumb caressed it softly. She leaned into the touch and his face darkened.

"I like you, Rosie. I always have. But you will never be able to replace Clarissa."

Bitter tears began to run down her cheeks. She writhed to get away but he held her firm.

"You will never be able to erase her from my memory and pretending that the daughter we had together doesn't exist will not make her disappear. I don't think you're strong enough to continue loving me knowing that I will never love anyone but her. You might as well accept it now—"

He bent down and kissed her full on the lips. She melted in his arms, her hands starting to shake, tears running down her cheeks. When he pulled back he stared into her eyes. She shivered at their coldness. There was absolutely no feeling in his eyes, at least none directed at her.

"I followed my heart when I chose Clarissa all those years ago, Rosie." Her face hardened into a scowl and she slapped him. He grabbed her wrists and she jerked to get free. He frowned down at her. "I never loved you."

Crying out as though she had been brutally stabbed, the female figure finally managed to jerk herself away. She flew out the door into the snow covered brick alleyway.

Peering through the banisters down at the man below, she watched his grief-stricken face as he sighed and muttered to himself...

"It had to be done."

Mona Lisa jolted back to reality and opened her eyes, the blurry, slightly contorted images haunting her even as she stared at the computer screen. Once again, her eyes were drawn to the picture before her. She had seen those eyes before. They were the eyes that haunted her nightmares. Those cold eyes that had hurt her for so many years, and yet...

That wasn't the only place she had seen them. It had been somewhere else, somewhere very different, somewhere dark and scary, somewhere when the eyes themselves were different...

That voice in her head...that woman...the eyes...

The shot...the crashing glass...and then...

"NO!"

Mona recoiled about two feet and gasped. Her breath caught in her chest. She whimpered, struggling, then finally managed to cough out. "She-she-she...she was there! She was..."

The eyes of the image on Don's computer screen flashed and grew bigger right before Mona's very eyes. They filled her vision. "No...no..." She whimpered, shaking her head, trying to get them to go away. But she was only being sucked in deeper.

The eyes flashed again, staring down at her. Hands grabbed her wrists, refusing to let her go. She was crying trying to stay with him, trying to stay by his side, but the cold hands...the burning eyes, they were pulling her away. She couldn't escape. She tried to scream. She tried to call out to him. But she couldn't escape. He didn't save her. He didn't move. He was gone. The hands...the eyes...they tore her away from him. They pulled her away. She screamed as hard as she could. The eyes...were there tears in them? The cold hands yanked her away. Still she wouldn't go...couldn't go.

Daddy...Daddy had said that these hands couldn't be trusted...that she couldn't be trusted. She had to get away. One of the hands made a fist and hit her, hard. Then it was dark and when she had finally woken up...she was alone.

Mona's hand flew to her chest as she emerged from the nightmare-like trance. Her breathing was heavy and she was terrified. She dropped to her knees, dazedly glancing at the room around her. Slowly, she realized just what had snapped her out of it. Donatello was awake, standing next to the light switch looking worried.

"Mona? Are you alright? What are you—" He stopped short as he got close enough to see what she had been looking at. "Oh my gosh, Mona, I'm so sorry, I hadn't meant to leave that open! Damn! I'm such an idiot! I am so, so sorry! Are you...are you alright?" He bent down to help her, but she swatted his hands away.

"I don't need your help, Don. I'm fine." She said lowly. Were he paying attention, the smart turtle might have noticed the edge of warning in her voice. But he was too worried to be listening that closely.

"You have an elevated heart rate and have undoubtedly had quite a shock. You should—"

"Don't tell me what to do, Donatello! I don't need to hear it from you or Sensei, or anybody else!" She snapped, pushing herself resolutely up onto her feet and storming out of the lab without so much as a parting glance.

Donatello's hands fell to his side and he watched her go, a worried frown settling on his face. He made up his mind then and there. Something had to be done.

—————————

"Raph, can I talk to you?"

"Sure Don, what's up?"

"Mona Lisa got into my files last night." He stated solemnly. He noted the way that Raphael's body stiffened.

"The ones from the research base?"

"No, the ones on English poetry, of course the ones from the research base!" Don replied heatedly, trying to be as patient as he could, given the circumstances. Unfortunately, he couldn't help but let a little bit of his exasperation show through.

"What happened? Is she alright? Did she have another flashback?"

Don's hands flew up as he tried to motion his brother to slow down, but the hothead's alarm meant that Raph had very little patience at the moment. The brainiac reached out and caught his brother's by the shoulder. "Calm down Raph. She looked a little bit shocked by she insisted that she was fine. I don't think that her fear is the issue here. She isn't reacting the way that she did last time. It looked as though she had seen the picture on Knight's file. I'm guessing based on the position that I found her in that the image awakened old memories, but she wasn't in shock. When I asked her if she was alright, she didn't react at all like last time."

"What do you mean? What did she do?"

"She smacked my hand away and snapped at me. Whatever you do, Raphael, tread carefully. She's not happy and she doesn't want any help. Not even ours." Don warned, gripping Raph's shoulder tightly. The hothead looked down at the ground for a few moments, worriedly. Then he walked softly away with a very pensive look on his face. Don's eyes followed his immediate older brother, hoping that Raphael would be able to help their newest family member.

——————————

Raphael searched the lair for Mona Lisa until there was only one place left to search. The dojo. He had assumed that it was Leonardo and Michelangelo training, but he had found Mikey in the kitchen creating some sort of carrot-based concoction that Raphael dare not even approach. Which meant that Mona and Leo were training in the dojo. As he approached he heard muffled voices coming from within. He paused by the door.

"I don't understand, Mona. Why come to me? You know that Raph—"

"Raphael won't be able to help me with this, Leo. I had to come to you. Please. Can I trust you?"

"Of course." Leo answered his voice soft and filled with emotion. Raph's lip curled and his famous temper flared. He shoved the door open and stepped inside, noticing the way that the two of them jumped away from each other.

"What the shell is going on in here?"

Mona Lisa bristled and straightened, her fists clenching. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that you trust Leo more than you trust me!"

Leo immediately stepped in with a soft, earnest look on his face, "Raph, you didn't hear all of it, she—"

"Shut up, Fearless and get out! This is between me and Mona!"

"No, it isn't Raphael! You need to approach this rationally! She wanted me to help her with her training!"

Raph's fists clenched and he turned to Mona, his face turning red. "Then why the shell couldn't you come to me?!"

"You wouldn't be able to do what I'm asking." Her eyes darkened and flashed warningly.

"Why the shell not?!" Raphael asked, growling. Leo stepped between him and Mona with a warning look on his face, his forest green hand resting lightly on his katana handle.

"Calm down, Raph. She's alright, I'll look out for her. Please, just let it go." Raphael took a deep breath and turned away. He had his back to them, but they could still hear the anger in his voice.

"I just—don't get it."

Mona Lisa growled. Raphael's insinuation, justifiable or not, hurt her. And she couldn't help but allow some of her bitterness and anger from everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours rise up from within her. "Maybe I just wanted to train with someone who'd present me with a challenge."

Every muscle in Raphael's body rippled with tension. His fists clenched. Red flashed in front of his eyes and his heart ached as though it had been stabbed with a sai. His voice came out sounding low and gravelly. "Fine. Spend all your time with him for all I care." He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Leonardo's hands fell and clenched by his sides. His chest tightened at the sheer amount of hurt he perceived in Raph's voice. He looked over at Mona Lisa. Her face was stoic. There wasn't the slightest hint of regret in her eyes and it made him burn. "Mona..." He spoke softly, trying to hold back his slowly growing anger. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" She asked innocently, turning away from him.

Leo's hand shot out and jerked her around. "You know what, Mona. Just because Raph misheard us doesn't mean that you had to lash out at him like that. You hurt his feelings!"

She slapped his hand away and he stepped back in shock. "What and he didn't hurt mine? If he'd stop acting like a child and throwing tantrums I wouldn't have had to do it."

Slowly, the eldest turtle drew away from her. "This isn't you, Mona. I know that you love, Raphael. This isn't about what just happened." Leo's hand on her shoulder gripped softly. "Please, tell me what's wrong." He asked, genuinely concerned. He had no desire for Raphael and Mona's relationship to fall apart. Not that a fight this small would do that but...Raph was sensitive and tended to overreact. "Please, Mona Lisa, I care about both you. I don't want to see you hurt. My brother loves you. But you know how he is. He overreacts to things. I don't want something as trivial as this dispute to come between you. If you tell me what's wrong I can help...please." He said, softly, cupping her face with his hands. There were tears in her eyes. As soon as the first tear started to drip down her cheek she threw herself forward into his arms. He held her close and rubbed her back comfortingly, whispering calming nothings into her ear.

—————————————

They stayed there for an hour. He held her close as she sobbed, telling him about the file she'd seen in Donnie's lab and what she remembered. Leo knew that he'd have to tell Raphael as soon as possible, but he couldn't leave Mona Lisa alone in such a state. Suddenly, loud voices in the main room got their attention. Mona's tears had long since stopped and they were sitting side by side against the wall of the dojo. They looked at each other and Leo stood, moving towards the dojo doors. Mona trailed after him, hesitantly. He opened the door, one hand on his katana handle.

"What's going on in here?" Leo asked, stepping out into the main room. The Mighty Mutanimals were there, and Raphael was with them, it looked like he had just gotten through talking to Slash. He turned to his older brother with a solemn expression.

"They've been scouring the rooftops for weeks. They spotted a masked character in the vicinity of the research facility, traveling over the rooftops. They followed it back to an apartment building. We've located our 'missing' scientist."

Leo's lips curled back into a snarl. "You're certain?" He asked the Mutanimals.

Slash nodded. "Yes. Of course. We had to be careful, but we managed to retrieve this from inside." Slash held something out to them. Leo crossed the room and took it. It was a picture. Mona Lisa followed him and leaned gently against his shoulder, an action which did not escape the notice of Raphael or Slash. Her body tensed up and her fingernails practically dug into Leo's shoulder. He hissed and turned to look at her, silencing himself as soon as he saw the look on her face. Fortunately for him, her hand released his shoulder and reached down to take the photograph. It was a photo of a man standing next to Rouge Knight. His arm was wrapped around someone else, but that part of the picture had been cut off.

Don, Mikey and Leo all began to come forward. Leo put a hand on her shoulder. "Mona?"

The leader of the turtles noticed that Raph was hovering about a foot away, with a worried expression on his face. Leo pushed Mona away gently and just as he expected, Raphael shot forward to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"Mona Lisa, are you alright?" Raph asked softly. She looked up at him. Their little spat temporarily forgotten, Mona patted his shoulder and drew away, dropping down onto the couch. Raph settled beside her, leaving more space than he usually did, which made Leo frown.

Mona Lisa pointed to the photo and held it out to Raphael. "This man was my father."

———————————

How was it?

P.S. The last few chapters will hopefully be up before the end of the month!