I guess you could call five years a long time? It's funny how your life can change so abruptly after one meeting with someone new. You walk along, minding your own business and then BAM! Life changing experiences hit you head on and all you can do is stand through it.

I met these…Guys? Yeah, that's the best word for them. They became my best friends, one of them I even fell in love with. After five years we both love each other the same as that one night at Casey's grandmother's porch steps. It's funny to think about it now after all this time. It's funny to even believe that everything that happened happened the way it did.

I came to New York to start over, really. I had a boyfriend and thought that we were going to be together forever. Then, that one faithful night walking along those streets, under that New York city sky, I met one of those guys and since then you could say that my life has been…Interesting, more or less.

Leonardo and I have been going strong for those five years. I never thought in all my life I would end up with a guy remotely like Leonardo. He's disciplined, and demanding, and bossy. We clash sometimes I think worse than him and Raphael, screaming at each other at the top of our lungs enough to wake half of Jersey. I have a very wild spirit and he's calm, more placid and is able to control his temper in a manner I have never seen any guy be capable of. In a way, we are kind of opposites. Of course, once you set Leo off, it's kind of hard to turn it down. He's a lot like Raphael in that sense, of course don't tell either of them that because they'll deny the shit outta it.

However, I couldn't think of a more perfect guy to give my heart to. While being all those things, controlling, bossy, overprotective, he is also the most caring, loving, loyal, defending, and beautiful persona I have ever known.

Speaking of Raphael he is still the same. For awhile he had a special someone topside he would sneak off to visit on late nights. Kind of like a booty call, and who could blame the girl? If women knew of the things these boys were capable of I swear there would be a stampede of women roaming the sewers. Then, a few months later he began staying in more and more. He'd patrolled with his brothers but, never stayed out after that. He got quiet, more so than usual and I actually was the only one with enough balls to ask him what had happened. Raphael is a very caring and good hearted guy, just like all the rest of the Hamato clan. None of them deserve heart ache, however that wasn't the case with Raph.

A week after I asked him he finally came to my apartment one night. I still live in New York. It was hard going back and facing it all. I stayed down in the lair for awhile until the Shredder's final death came to be. The City went into chaos, at least to those who knew where the war was to be found. After a few months it died down and gangs went back into their gang's ways.

I found another place, closer to Casey and April's. A year of knowing them and having the same Ninja connections we all had, it was kind of hard to not to become good, loyal friends. I'm glad to have someone like April around, she's like an older sister I never had.

Anyways, Raph came to my apartment smelling like a thick mixture of beer and rum. I swear his breath could have pealed paint off the walls. I helped him in and he spilled all the beans. Her name apparently was Meredith. She was, as he put it "beautiful legs with a nice rack". I'm thinking she meant more than just that but, he was also in a drunken state of a mans stupidity to have the only things functioning at the moment to be his sex receptors.

They had been seeing one another for two months, and it was starting to get "real" for both of them. She thought about the big picture and swore she didn't want to hurt him, but of course she did. She knew she wanted a normal life and you can't exactly have one of those with a giant mutant turtle.

It was funny seeing Raph like that, not funny ha, ha. It was just so much just raw emotion pouring out of him from just some girl. Someone as strong as him, on the verge of tears after telling me how much he loved her and wanted to be with her but knew she deserved better. Better. That got me to stop for a minuet and take a shot of my own. I have no idea who could be better than any of those boys. Their hearts are too pure, too real for someone to just dismiss it because of their exterior. But, it goes along with heart ache from a love come and went and not just to one brother, but two.

Michelangelo was out one night, one his usual pizza run. He heard a small scream coming from an alleyway and of course being the knight in shining armor that, that wonderful turtle is, he went to investigate. Upon arrival of the scene he saw two thugs holding down a girl at knife point. He jumped down and came to her rescue and when he was about to leave she asked him to stay a moment. He walked her home, totally forgetting about his pizza that now was ice cold still waiting at the pizza parlor. He told me it was hard to concentrate on anything else but those eyes. They were an almost emerald colored and always sparkled as she laughed at his jokes.

Finally, saying good-night she reached around him for a hug. Mikey froze in place as her wide eyes landing on his. She pulled away slowly, letting her arms fall back to her side and those wide green eyes wonder up and down his baggy hoodie and pants, landing back on his face he tried so desperately to hide in the minimal light. Grasping his hand she tugged his body into a street light and it was evident she knew his face wasn't that of a normal human. However, (and Mikey smiled like an idiot at this part) she didn't scream.

She just stood looking at him for a moment, her eye brow crooked slightly as she tilted her head surveying his body over once more. After a moment of silence and Mikey's heart pounding in his chest she smiled. He couldn't think of how to react, the only other person who didn't scream when they saw them was myself and I had a concussion.

"Wanna order a pizza? I still owe you for like ya know my life." She giggled as Mikey nodded his head quickly in agreement.

She was a beautiful girl. Beautiful blonde locks and those eyes that could bring a blind man to his knees. She was a little shorter than myself but never complained about it. She wore red shinny Doc. Martian boots always, unless it was summer than it was flip flops constantly. Her style was eccentric; I guess is a good way to put it? She always said she could never decide on one color to wear so why not wear them all?

She wasn't skinny, but she wasn't fat either. She called herself a 'happy medium' or 'what a real woman really looks like'. I always had good times with that chick. She was good for Mikey and made him the happiest I ever saw that kid. If that's even possible to have a happier Mikey, but she was able to pry it out of him.

After about a year of their relationship she broke the news to Mikey, then to us all. I remember it as clearly as it was yesterday. She sat as all down at the lair, looking paler than usual. The color in those normally rosy cheeks died away and that always smiling face frowned, taking a more serious one. Mikey wouldn't look up at us as she sighed and leaned against the large kitchen table. I guess she didn't tell Mikey at first because she thought it would have been cured. She was told it went away, but in cases like hers it normally comes back. And hers did, with vengeances.

Amber was her name and still to this day I miss her smiling face around the lair, bouncing around with Mikey to some weird Indy music she made him listen to. He hated it, but loved her. She died about a month after telling us and Mikey was never the same.

The night of her funeral, after the ceremony we all came back to the lair. I walked close to Mikey as he stayed in front, his head down and a frown that just never suited his always smiling face. He walked up to his room and slowly clicked the door shut as we all watched, not saying a word. What could we have done? Leonardo tried to go and comfort him but I said he needed his time.

A couple hours later, after Leonardo had fallen asleep on the couch from just absolute emotional exhaustion, Donatello was in his lab trying to busy his mind with something other than the thoughts of his miserable brother, and Raphael was out with Casey 'bustin' skulls' I brought Mikey some food. Nothing special, they had some cold cuts in the fridge so I thought a sandwich would be best.

I didn't knock because I knew he wouldn't answer. As I stepped through his threshold I could just feel the anguish and hurt slam against my body, and make my heart literally crumble for him. I set the plate down on his night stand as he didn't move from his laying in the fetal position on the bed; his shell towards me. I sighed softly placing my hand on his arm as I lightly rubbed it in a comforting way that made him turn his head over his shoulder to look to see who came in the room.

"Will, I just can't." He said softly as I nodded and put my legs up on the side of the bed, lying down next to him. He slowly turned onto his shell and looked towards me as I kept my head up on my braced elbow. I didn't smile, I knew I couldn't and I knew that was the last thing he needed was fake gestures of fake feelings that he couldn't express at the moment or for a long time.

Normally sparkling blue eyes were red from crying and just seeing it, seeing Mikey the happy-go-lucky kid I knew for years crying made it all real and hit me like a ton of bricks. He was going to need a lot more than a sandwich to bring him out of his hell he felt his life was becoming.

"I know Mike, I'm not here to talk." I said softly as he nodded his head keeping his eyes towards the ceiling. I leaned over a little and put my head on his shoulder as I felt his body tense. "I just want to be here…In case you need something." I said closing my eyes, knowing this was the bed I was to sleep in for the night. I felt his head bob up and down as his arm slowly hooked around my shoulders.

"Thanks sis…" He said softly as I let my lips curl slowly into a smile.

"Welcome Mikey."

After that, his brothers and I kept watchful eye over him for months. He barely ate, he never came out of his room unless to use the bathroom or be pulled out for morning training by Raphael and Leonardo. Casey even tired to drag him out for new comic book releases but he didn't budge.

I called Hayden and Mikey seemed slightly happier with my little brother around. Of course anyone could tell he was putting on those fake smiles to just appease Hayden. They played video games and Hayden never asked about her, never talked to him unless it was a joke or a prank to pull on one of the older brothers. They just sat on that ratty old couch and played video games and watched action movie after action movie.

Hayden knew her and thought the same as we all did of her. He was sad for his best friend knowing he was grieving and knew the best way a guy could get over something like that was to have someone show him he could still go on living life like he had been. They skateboarded and that winter about five months after Hayden and myself took all the brothers to our families cabin in Maine. He taught Mikey how to snowboard and I think that was the first time in those five months I saw Mikey's real smile. It all got better from there.

Donatello kept a steady job being a tech support for a computer company. He helped people over the phone, telling them troubleshooting answers after troubleshooting answers almost by verbatim to these moronic people. I've actually sat and over heard conversations some of these people came up with. However, Donnie was always the calmer of his brothers. He answered their mundane questions and barely ever got short with a client, although it showed in his tensed shoulders.

He never seemed to find the time for a girl. He always looked and we all thought there was a mystery woman for a month or so, but it turned out to just be nothing more than a "friend", or at least that's how she put it. But, Don never seemed to mind really. He still kept his head up and hopes high.

For these five years it was more than hard to keep them all a secret especially when one of them is my boyfriend. He would hide if my mom or some of my best friends came over without notice. My mom would ask question after question about who this Leo person really was. Hayden would snicker and I could do nothing but glare at that knuckle head.

Of course keeping that big of a secret from an Italian mother is like trying to use a Jedi Mind Trick, it just doesn't happen. She finally found out and that night I thought for sure I was either going to be dragged to the loony bin or have National Geographic break down my door. Surprisingly enough neither happened.

It was the night of Leonardo and my three year anniversary. I made up my whole apartment with candles and white Japanese iris petals laying every where. I kept my window by the fire escaped unlocked because I knew he'd be coming over after his patrol with his brothers. He was in one of Leonardo's rare moods of irritation. Usually only after an argument with Raphael was he in one of these moods, and especially it being a fight that happened on a patrol my guess was he was trying to use his over protection while Raph thought it best to do what Raph does and ignore is brother's orders.

He saw the way the apartment was set up before I even knew he was in there. That moving with the night thing I'm still getting used to, even Boba didn't make a noise to him walking through the living room. I went to check on dinner that I made for us while he walked slowly, starting to feel slightly better about the evening as he saw me in my new dress that I bought for this occasion. It was a beautiful white number, short with a black lacey belt and strapless. Leo only saw me in a dress one other time and it was for my cousin's wedding that I was a braid's maid. It was a horrible pink thing that looked like the Easter Bunny threw up all over me.

After him telling me what happened with Raph he was able to relax a little more. We ate and kissed and I opened a bottle of wine which he thought was cliché but, drank some anyways. He loosened up around me more and more over the years and finally was able to joke around and I found out that HamatoLeonardo actually has a sense of humor.

Then the bomb dropped.

I heard the small beep from the couch as Leonardo finally got the zipper undone on my new dress that was now a bunched up mess around my hips. He quickly got from my body as I still lay panting from his lips leaving mine so abruptly. I was angry, and wanting and glared at the small intercom by my door. It beeped again and with a growl I got to my feet and stomped over to it. Thinking it was just a drunken Hayden, wobbling his way home from the bars and looking for a closer place to crash I didn't hide my anger.

"What?" I asked as I smash my finger against the button.

"Willow?" I hear her soft and nervous voice say from the other side as my eyes slowly widen.

"Mom?" I ask as she quickly answers.

"Yes, yes. Hello honey! I was just in the city and thought I'd stop by." She said her voice a little louder as she; I am sure stepped closer to the intercom thinking her voice wasn't clear enough to begin with.

"Oh, uh…Um, ok." I stammer. How the hell was I going to get outta this? I sigh and look over my shoulder as Leonardo already strapped his katana to his shell and was ready to flee. I hold up a hand and look at him with sad eyes. "Leo, I don't want you to leave." He sighed slowly closing the window to my fire escape as he leaned on the kitchen's entry way.

"What do you want to happen Will? I can't let her see me." He said crossing his arms over his plastron in his 'Leo Stance' as I call it.

"Maybe it's time Leo. I mean, it's been three years." I shrug still wearing the softest eyes I could force out. He sighed again letting his head fall as I walk over to him slowly letting my finger tips brush his beautiful olive muscles on his powerful arms. He picks his head up to meet my gaze as I let a sweet smile cross my features. "Leonardo, I love you and my mother knows that I do. I talk about you, it's hard not to. She just wants to meet you. And it'll be over with. Hayden barely freaked…"

"Willow he said he wished the kitchen was closer so he could use a weapon to protect you from us." He said arching an eye ridge as I smirked nodding my head.

"He was protecting his sister. You would do the same for April." I say crossing my arms now as he shook his head slowly before looking past me and at the intercom. "It's like a bandaid, just do it fast and the pain won't linger as long." I say with a grimacing smile as he furrowed his brow.

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Yes? C'mon just…"

"Willow Harmony, are you still there?" My mother's loud voice booms over my side of the intercom as I rolled my eyes with a sigh.

"Yes or no?" I say looking at him as he looked back towards the window once more, I could tell from his muscles flexing that he wanted to just dart towards it and disappear in those shadows of the city.

"You sure?" He asks as I nod vigorously.

"Yes Tiger, I'm completely sure I've wanted you to meet her for a long time. Family means a lot to me, you know that." I saw with a beaming smile rubbing his toned arms as he sighs once more and wraps them around my body. He leans forward kissing my forehead, lingering for a moment before pulling back and looking me in the eye.

"I love you." He says softly as I smile and kiss his lips.

"Love you."

"Willow!" She says before the beep even finishes. I smirk and turn over my shoulder and walk back towards my intercom and lean on the wall.

"Yes mom. I was just…discussing things with Leonardo." I say with a smile looking at him as he slides the katana strap from his shoulder and hurries down the hall to my bedroom and places them under my bed. He comes back leaning back in the same spot as I can't help but have a questioning smile on my face.

"What was that for?" I chuckle as he shrugs.

"You really want me to meet your mother with my katana strapped to my shell? I don't exactly think that is a good first impression. Hi, I'm Leo, a huge turtle and trained Ninja with twin katana nice to meet you." He says in a mocking tone as I narrow my eyes on his slightly.

"Whatever." I press the button. "Come on up mom."

"Well it's 'bout damn time!" She says before I press the button for her to enter the apartment building.

It's not long before she is knocking at my door. I look over at Leonardo as we both sit at the kitchen table, feeling his pulse race faster as he clenches his large hand around mine. I smile and pat it softly as he loosens then lets go as I stand up. I smooth out my dress and fluff my hair slightly before opening the door. I keep it opened so only my body is seen and Leo is still hidden away behind me in the kitchen.

My mother smiles warmly at me as I smile back, feeling my nerves start to get the best of me, my heart feels as though it's going to burst from my chest. This is it. The moment I have been dreading for three years. The moment of life or death reactions, will she or won't she and if she does what am I going to do? My heart started to pound faster as I tired to breathe normally. Their secrecy, his family, my friends, my love is all riding on this one woman standing before me. Needless to say, I'm slightly freaked out.

"Well, are you going to let me in so I can finally meet this wonderful man you've been raving about for years now?" She says throwing her arms in the air as I smile.

"Yes." I say trying to keep my voice calm and collect. "You just have to promise me one thing." I say looking at in dead in the eye. She arches an eye brow and crosses her arms.

"Alright, I'll bite." She says as I take in a slow calming breath to steady my heart rate.

"You cannot scream." I say as her expression slowly changes into a furrowed brow as I try and keep my face from a grimace. "Just, promise." I say shaking my head to my own idiocy. This was a bad idea.

"Ok, I promise. Is he a convicted killer or something?" I can't help but snort back in laughter as I shake my head.

"No. He's just…Different."

"Oh Willow he's not…" She leans closer to me and whispers. "Really a woman is he?" I open my mouth and smack her on the arm lightly.

"No, what the hell is wrong with you?" I say furrowing my brow as she shrugs.

"I don't know I mean you said different and in high school you always had that thought that 'the heart wants what it wants' and going around thinking your bi sexual." I shake my head in a sigh dreading that fact that I know Leonardo is listening intently to everything.

"This is different and he isn't a different sex, just different species…" I say slowly as she looks as though she didn't hear my correctly.

"What?" She asks as I look behind me to Leonardo covering his face with his hand shaking his head. Wonderful, I think.

I open the door wider as I pull her inside quickly. Leo stands slowly from the table as her eyes widen and I shut the door, leaning my weight on it to shut it with a loud click. Her mouth slowly opens as I chew on my bottom lip, just waiting for the loud, shrill scream about to leave her throat. I hear her take in a couple of breaths, her chest raising and falling hard underneath her jean jacket and black shirt as I walk over to her and place a hand on her shoulder.

"Mom…." I say slowly as she doesn't turn to me but stares at Leonardo, her breathing still trying to steady itself. "This is Leonardo, my Leonardo." I say in a small smile as Leo is able to force one back.

"It's…Nice to meet you Mrs…."

"Maggie." She finally says as he stops extending his hand and furrows his brow. "You can call me Maggie, I don't like it when her boyfriends call me Mrs. Makes me sound old." He smiles and nods his head as I finally let a sigh leave my body.

Then slowly as time went on life seemed to get easier with her meeting all the brothers. She, surprisingly took all of them well. However, with Splinter she did let out a small scream, she never did like rats. After the two years of getting used to everything she is able to talk to all of them and treat all of them like her own, my father even being frighteningly ok with all of them.

He'd talk sports with Mikey and Raph over beers, computers with Donnie and spiritual things with Leonardo and Splinter. It made me smile knowing that my father was so comfortable shooting the shit with all of them with all their differences. He is a 'worldly man' and knows or at least things he knows everything. He's lived through a lot of things and been to many different countries with my mother before I was born. He has many experiences in life under his belt and the guys always found him rather interesting, hearing his different stories and thoughts on life. Leo always told me he liked him after their talks and I'd smile and kiss his head, silently thanking God that this worked itself out so beautifully.

It was an amazing feeling, having both of my families accept one another. I was scared for years, avoiding it because I thought all hell would just break loose. Splinter tells me it is because fate calls for it. It calls for Leonardo and me to be together. I smiled as Leo shifted slightly to his father's unmistakable acceptance for his son's happiness.

"Thank you father." He said bowing his head slightly as I smiled placing my hand over his, kneeling next to him in his father's sandalwood scented room.

"Yet, we do not know what the future has in store for any of us my son. You can only take what is given to you in small portions. Taken all at once can lead to uncertain, shaky grounds on which you will tread if you take such hasty actions." I'm not exactly sure what it meant but Leonardo nodded his head. I had a feeling it had to do with the uncertainty of life and how some of his son's love lives were destroyed from it's swiftly, every changing style.

I'm scared everyday that something is going to happen to him, to myself, to anyone I care about. The risk is even bigger here, with us, with his brother's. New York is a very dangerous place and they're the ones at night fighting that danger. It scared the shit out of me sometimes. But, I can't prevent anything, I can't stop them I can only pray and hope that he comes back to me. They have a duty to take as Ninja, as protectors and I have to respect that.

Since then, the brothers and their father have taken several summer visits to my mother and father's home in Stockbridge. Casey and April tagging along as they stay not miles away at Casey's grandmother's farm house.

Those first three years were always the ones I'll remember.