Taylor lays awake, wondering whether or not it's too late to back out of her mother's ill-conceived beach trip. She tosses and turns, the blankets getting more and more tangled around her legs as she grips her hair, wishing her mind would just shut up.

Is it possible to expect nothing and still be disappointed?

When she found out her mamá was coming to visit, a part of her yearned to feel anything other than dread, than betrayal. She let herself believe in the fairytale image of being lovingly reunited with a mother who, despite her shortcomings, could see her mistakes and maybe...apologize? Or try to make it up to her?

But, no. Her mother is just as gorgeous and just as fickle as she was when she left almost eight years before. Taylor knew she had step-siblings, but seeing those two beautiful little girls and that beautiful little baby sent even more knives into her back.

She wanted to believe her mamá wasn't a cheater, that she left her papá and ran off to find happiness, but with the timeline Taylor sees, she was married and with child barely a year after she left them. It makes Taylor wonder whether her mamá had ever truly loved her.

She flips the blankets off and gets to her feet. She leaves the bedroom, pushing her hair from her eyes as she stumbles her way to the kitchen. Her eyes itch with longing for sleep and her mouth is dry.

But, when she reaches the kitchen, there's someone sitting at the island, a glass of water in hand.

"Papá?" Taylor asks.

Jack looks up at her. The dark circles under his eyes seem far more prominent, illuminated by the light of the moon and the harsh streetlight spilling through the windows and the ghostly glow of the digital microwave face. He lets out a long sigh as he scratches the shadow of stubble on his jaw, his subtly handsome features drawn with exhaustion.

"Hi, Taylor."

He speaks in Spanish, the words soft and familiar to her. It reminds her of how he'd read her bedtime stories in Spanish, back when she was still learning how to juggle learning two languages.

She inches closer, worrying her lip between her teeth as her dad looks back at her.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asks. Still Spanish.

She responds in kind. "No. You?"

"No."

She fills a cup with water and joins him at the island, a single stool keeping space between them. He lets out a long sigh, running his hand through his hair. It flattens beneath his palm, then springs back up the moment it's passed.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs.

She tilts her head at him. "For what?"

An exhale, a sad laugh. "For everything," he says. "When..." He purses his lips, looking at her with those same hazel eyes she inherited from him. "When your mamá left, I...I fell apart. That...that broke me in ways I-" He stops again, fumbling over his words, struggling to find the right ones. "I..."

"It's okay, papá."

"No. No, it's not." He takes a drink of water, throat bobbing as he swallows it down. The cup clinks against the countertop. "Nights like these, all the regrets just...pile up."

She shifts over to the stool right at his side, leaning her head onto his shoulder. "Mine too."

He shakes his head. "You're too young to have regrets. Nothing that should weigh on you like mine do."

She keeps her mouth shut even as her chest tightens. He knows about her time with the Purple Dragons, but he doesn't know about what she did to Raphael and his family. He doesn't know how she spends every minute she can proving that the second chance they gave her wasn't wasted. He'll never know, if she can help it.

He slowly, awkwardly, wraps one arm around her, tugging her close to his side.

"Do you still love mamá?" she whispers. It sneaks out of her before she can stop it, and she feels him stiffen in response.

"That's..." He exhales. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"But you're still gonna go to the beach with her? And her...perfect family?"

He leans away from their half-hearted embrace, his brows furrowing. She purses her lips, wishing the venom in her tone hadn't been so prevalent.

"I'm going because I want to spend time with you, Tay," he says. "Not for her. Besides..." He clears his throat. "I need to see more of this Raphael guy-"

"Papá..."

He lets out a short, barely-there laugh. "I'll try not to be too...dad on him. Just want to make sure he treats you right, you know?"

She smiles a little. "Yeah. I know. And he does. Do you really think I'd put up with less?"

"I don't know. Us Fuenteses...we're a bit dependent."

"Just a bit."

She's felt independent since she was a preteen, but maybe having someone you can actually depend on changes things.

"Ready to try and sleep again?" he asks.

She nods. "I'll try. You should too."

He smiles, then reaches out to pat her head. "I...uh-" He clears his throat. "Love you, kiddo."

Her heart squeezes. "Love you too, papá."

----------

"Mikey, please tell me you have a weird stash of human clothes hiding somewhere."

Michelangelo slowly raises an eye-ridge at his brother, then slowly puts his fingers together in a steeple over his mouth. He kicks one leg over the other, one eye-ridge raising languidly as he starts to smile.

"You know what? Forget I asked," Raphael says, backing away from his little brother's room.

"Ah-ba-ba-ba," Michelangelo calls, raising one hand. "I have what you require, dear friend. But what...will you offer me in turn?"

"Have you been playing fantasy video games or something? You sound like a merchant NPC."

"Maybe." His eyes sparkle as he grins. "So, my good dude, what do you need?"

"Swim trunks."

He gasps and, somehow, his eyes get even more sparkly. "You're going swimming?! Where? With who? Can I come?!"

Raphael crosses his arms over his chest as Michelangelo kicks his feet, practically vibrating with excitement. For a second, the two of them just stare at one another, letting their conflicting emotions clash in the empty space.

Raphael sighs. "Taylor's mom invited Tay and me to the beach with her family tomorrow."

"Dude...I am so in! Can I come?" Michelangelo clasps his hands together and hops off his bed as he jumps in place, his voice pitching higher with each word. "Please? Please, please, please?!"

"Why...would you want to come?"

"Um, because one, it's the beach. Two, if I can convince Lisey to come, I'll get to see her in a swimsuit. And three...because you seem kinda stressed about it and having your favourite little brother around will totally help you relax."

Raphael snorts. "Donnie's actually my favourite little brother."

"Keep telling yourself that, Raph." He winks. "So, can I come? Maybe invite my lady friend?"

"I'll ask Tay. In the meantime, try to rustle up some swimsuits."

"On it, brah."

----------

Raph
Hey Tay?
Is it cool if Mikey and Annalise come to the beach with us?

Tay
I'm down.
Let me ask my mom though.
Just in case :/

A short pause. Raphael sets his phone down and focuses on the TV. Leonardo and Destiny decided they were in the mood for Space Heroes reruns and, as much as Raphael thinks it's the cheesiest show on the planet, he can't stop watching.

Leonardo and Destiny keep muttering lines to each other, giggling and shoving each other like a bunch of dorks. Raphael decides not to laugh at them too hard.

His t-phone dings.

Tay
She says the more the merrier, so yeah
Tbh I'd love having you guys there ;-;

Raph
He'll be psyched.
We'll have fun, promise.
Love you.

She texts back a lot quicker this time.

Tay
Gross.
Jk love you too, Raphie <3

"This is very disturbing, captain. Sensors indicate-" Destiny mimics Dr. Mindstrong, making her voice purposely pompous. She lets her mouth hang open, eyes going wide. "Everything is fiiiiinee..."

"Great galaxies!" Leonardo gasps. His Captain Ryan impression is scarily accurate even with just two words spoken.

They delve into giggling again, both grinning at each other and the cartoon even as Captain Ryan blows Mindstrong into bits with his phaser.

"Hey, dorkazoids," Raphael calls. They both look up at him, eyes wide with curiosity, and he sighs. "You wanna go to the beach tomorrow?"