Authors Notes: What would a fic from me be without a happy sappy ending?? Easy...not my style. So here you have it folks! A celebration of independence day because I'm not going to be home to celebrate it. I'll be in California and I have no clue what they do for the 4th there. All I know is its going to be a great week long vacation for me! So I hope you all enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it and having you all read it!
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies...I own nothing of TMNT except my own original characters. The small bit of song used is not mine either. It belongs to Hoobastank and the song is called "The Reason." It's a really great song. I totally fell in love with it.
Epilogue
He stood in the open doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the doorjamb and watching Alex as she peeled apples at the sink. Standing there dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a green, blue and white stripped tank top with the warm breeze coming in the window and teasing her hair that hung loose around her shoulders, she hummed a nameless tune so softly he could hardly hear it. Raphael thought she looked like the most peaceful being on the earth at the moment.
It was early July, the fourth to be exact. So many months had passed since that night. The nightmares-they'd all had the nightmares. Even he had suffered through a few terrifying ones, had woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Alex sleeping peacefully beside him. He would always hold her a little tighter after nightmares like that.
Through the winter, a Christmas spent with hectic days and lazy nights in front of the massive fireplace Donny had managed to construct, through the birth of spring they had all fought with the inner demons that stayed with them after the night the Prophecy had been destroyed. As promised, Raph fought it out with Alex and they both lent their help to his other brothers. And together...they managed to put it behind them. The nightmares slowly stopped, life returned to normal. Well, as normal as it could possibly be. There were changes of course. New Years eve Raph had sucked up every ounce of courage he had and had asked Alex to be his wife. She'd gladly and quite tearfully agreed and teased him for doubting her answer. With a little help from Casey and April they'd managed to throw together a small ceremony and had become...well, turtle and wife if you wanted to get technical about it.
When summer had come they had all agreed that it would be best spent on the farm away from the city and with April's consent they'd packed up everything they would need for the summer and drove out to the farm.
Pushing off the doorjamb, Raph crossed the kitchen to his wife.
"Breakfast is on the table," she said, sensing him before she actually aw him and waving carelessly at the spread on the table. Waffles, bacon, fresh cut fruit, a plate of perfectly folded omelets...he ignored it all and went to Alex, standing behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Mmm...breakfast," he murmured, nuzzling the gentle curve of her neck.
She stopped what she was doing and leaned back against him with a lazy smile. "No...I was desert, remember?"
"Oh yeah." He started kissing a trail up her neck to her ear. "Can't you be both?"
Gasping softly, she dropped the vegetable peeler in the sink where it landed soundlessly against the pile of apple skins and let her head fall back against his shoulder. Suddenly, a high-pitched whistle disturbed the silence, followed by a loud crack right outside the kitchen window above the sink. Alex's head jerked up and she stared out the window for a moment before calling out in a lightly scolding voice, "Mikey...away from the house."
"Sorry babe!" came the distant reply.
Raph chuckled and released her, moving over to the kitchen table and grabbing a piece of bacon. "So, what are you workin' on now?"
"Apple pie." She was back to peeling and humming again.
"This cookin' thing gonna stop any time soon?"
Alex threw him an amused look over her shoulder. "You're actually complaining?"
"Nope."
"Good. It was either this or cleaning and I highly doubt any of you want to go through that insanity again. Besides, you're the one to blame for this buddy."
"Sure, it's always the husband's fault," he grumbled with a smirk. Abandoning the breakfast foods, he went back to Alex, spun her around, took the vegetable peeler and the half peeled apple from her hand and kissed her soundly. She made a tiny noise of surprise and melted against him, winding her arms around his neck as she returned the kiss.
She loved that it was always like this between them. They could never seem to keep their hands off each other and she had no problem at all with that. Even after they had married she had figured things would calm down a little but she had been dead wrong to make that assumption. As it turned out marriage seemed to be the perfect reason for Raph to satisfy his curiosity and try things they'd never thought to try before. Again, something that was just fine by her. It made life interesting and oh, so much fun.
Another loud report sounded from outside, this time followed by laughter and more noisy snaps and Raph pulled back. "Sounds like they're having fun."
"Wanna get em wet?" Alex asked, tapping a large pail on the floor beside her that he hadn't noticed with the toe of her white canvas shoe.
"What's that?" Leaning over, he looked down into the pail and laughed when he saw several multi colored water balloons submerged in water and floating amidst ice cubes. "Man, you're kinda evil hun."
"And you love it. Come on, grab the bucket."
They walked out onto the porch and thick as thieves, scanned the yard for their prey. They stood under one of the many oaks that took up the sprawling front yard and provided shade from the intense heat. From the looks of it they were planning to light off another string of firecrackers. Leo and Mike were digging through paper bags as Don waited patiently, tapping a grill lighter against his open palm.
Alex glanced at the circular temperature gauge nailed to one of the porch support posts. Eighty seven degrees in the shade. "You know...we're probably just doing them a favor."
"Yeah...but its still fun."
Reaching into the pail, Alex pulled out a large, ice-cold water balloon and rolled it between her hands. "I can get Mikey, but you'll have to take care of Donny and Leo."
"Not a problem." Raph set he pail down and pulled out two water balloons for himself. Then, exchanging a mischievous look with Alex, they pulled their arms back and took aim.
"Incoming!!" Raph yelled as the balloons flew through the air and hit their targets dead on.
"HEY! What the-."
"RAPH!"
The two on the porch laughed and grabbed more balloons, hurling them at Leo, Don and Mikey without even caring if they hit them or not.
"Leo! Hose!" Mike yelled, ducking behind a tree.
The blue masked turtle ran for the hose, which lay rolled up beside the house. Alex saw what he was attempting to do and winged a water balloon at him, running for the hose as she did so. What took place after that was nothing short of a massive water war. Leo and Alex fought over the hose, both laughing and getting soaked in the process. Someone had managed to find a bunch of super soakers that were all filled with freezing water and used on the nearest victim. When Casey and April showed up they were given no mercy and were more or less forced to join in on the fun. Luckily, Master Splinter had opted to stay in. A very good idea, because to those involved in the fight, it didn't matter who they were soaking, as long as they were getting them good.
Around five they all agreed to call it quits and did their best to dry off before sitting down for a massive picnic in honor of the holiday. After that they sat around and talked until the sun started to sink in the horizon and then they hiked to the small pond behind the house where Don had set up an impressive display of pyrotechnics. Proud of his work, he was excited to show it to everyone and left them to get situated as he went to make sure every remote was set.
Off in the distance some neighbors had already started their festivities and bright lights would occasionally light the dusky sky, followed by a distant boom and faint cheers and clapping. Choosing a spot beneath a tree that was slightly secluded from the others, Raph leaned back against the massive trunk and Alex leaned back against him. They'd brought a checkered blanket with, more for protection from the mosquitoes than the actual chill of the coming night and were wrapped up in it.
"You know," Alex said softly as they waited for Donny to finish whatever preparations he had to make, "you've changed a lot Mr. Hothead."
Raph smiled and tightened his arms around her. "Yeah? What makes you say that?"
"You just have. You've mellowed. Its not a huge change...but we all see it. You've conquered whatever demons were within you. That rage you couldn't control...its not there any more. You've changed."
"You and me both babe."
She tilted her head back and looked up at him. "I've changed?"
"Well sure. You used to be jumpy and scared all the time. You're more confident now. You kinda take things on without doubting yourself. It's a small change," he said, taking her line, "but we all see it, and we're proud of you."
They fell silent and Alex started humming. It was a song he knew well, one that had really suckered him in and she knew it. She loved to sing it to him and she did so right then, just a little insert from the song...the part that meant something to both of them in ways they couldn't explain. In a voice that was as gentle as the wind, soft enough only for him to hear, she sang.
I just want you to know
I found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you
Raph smiled, moving his hand down her arm, over her ribs and then laid it on her stomach, which had just started to firm over the past month. The first burst of light filled the sky over their heads, all blues and silvers, sizzling and crackling in the silence.
"Do you think she'll like it hear?" he asked softly, rubbing Alex's stomach in slow circles.
Alex placed her hand over his and nodded. "She'll love it here honey. She'll love it any where we are, be it here or back at the lair...as long as we're all together as a family."
She tilted her head back and reached up, placing her hand on the side of his face and pulling him down for a quick kiss. "You, who is never afraid of anything is nervous about being a daddy. That's so cute Raph."
He rolled his eyes and grumbled, biting back a smile. Together they turned their gazes to the sky and watched the brilliant burst of color fill the sky. Every now and then Mikey would exaggerate on his awed exclamations and they would all laugh, other times they would all cheer at a particularly massive explosion of glittering colors and they all at one time thought about how wonderful it was to be together and alive. Yes, life was good.
THE END!!!
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies...I own nothing of TMNT except my own original characters. The small bit of song used is not mine either. It belongs to Hoobastank and the song is called "The Reason." It's a really great song. I totally fell in love with it.
Epilogue
He stood in the open doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the doorjamb and watching Alex as she peeled apples at the sink. Standing there dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a green, blue and white stripped tank top with the warm breeze coming in the window and teasing her hair that hung loose around her shoulders, she hummed a nameless tune so softly he could hardly hear it. Raphael thought she looked like the most peaceful being on the earth at the moment.
It was early July, the fourth to be exact. So many months had passed since that night. The nightmares-they'd all had the nightmares. Even he had suffered through a few terrifying ones, had woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Alex sleeping peacefully beside him. He would always hold her a little tighter after nightmares like that.
Through the winter, a Christmas spent with hectic days and lazy nights in front of the massive fireplace Donny had managed to construct, through the birth of spring they had all fought with the inner demons that stayed with them after the night the Prophecy had been destroyed. As promised, Raph fought it out with Alex and they both lent their help to his other brothers. And together...they managed to put it behind them. The nightmares slowly stopped, life returned to normal. Well, as normal as it could possibly be. There were changes of course. New Years eve Raph had sucked up every ounce of courage he had and had asked Alex to be his wife. She'd gladly and quite tearfully agreed and teased him for doubting her answer. With a little help from Casey and April they'd managed to throw together a small ceremony and had become...well, turtle and wife if you wanted to get technical about it.
When summer had come they had all agreed that it would be best spent on the farm away from the city and with April's consent they'd packed up everything they would need for the summer and drove out to the farm.
Pushing off the doorjamb, Raph crossed the kitchen to his wife.
"Breakfast is on the table," she said, sensing him before she actually aw him and waving carelessly at the spread on the table. Waffles, bacon, fresh cut fruit, a plate of perfectly folded omelets...he ignored it all and went to Alex, standing behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Mmm...breakfast," he murmured, nuzzling the gentle curve of her neck.
She stopped what she was doing and leaned back against him with a lazy smile. "No...I was desert, remember?"
"Oh yeah." He started kissing a trail up her neck to her ear. "Can't you be both?"
Gasping softly, she dropped the vegetable peeler in the sink where it landed soundlessly against the pile of apple skins and let her head fall back against his shoulder. Suddenly, a high-pitched whistle disturbed the silence, followed by a loud crack right outside the kitchen window above the sink. Alex's head jerked up and she stared out the window for a moment before calling out in a lightly scolding voice, "Mikey...away from the house."
"Sorry babe!" came the distant reply.
Raph chuckled and released her, moving over to the kitchen table and grabbing a piece of bacon. "So, what are you workin' on now?"
"Apple pie." She was back to peeling and humming again.
"This cookin' thing gonna stop any time soon?"
Alex threw him an amused look over her shoulder. "You're actually complaining?"
"Nope."
"Good. It was either this or cleaning and I highly doubt any of you want to go through that insanity again. Besides, you're the one to blame for this buddy."
"Sure, it's always the husband's fault," he grumbled with a smirk. Abandoning the breakfast foods, he went back to Alex, spun her around, took the vegetable peeler and the half peeled apple from her hand and kissed her soundly. She made a tiny noise of surprise and melted against him, winding her arms around his neck as she returned the kiss.
She loved that it was always like this between them. They could never seem to keep their hands off each other and she had no problem at all with that. Even after they had married she had figured things would calm down a little but she had been dead wrong to make that assumption. As it turned out marriage seemed to be the perfect reason for Raph to satisfy his curiosity and try things they'd never thought to try before. Again, something that was just fine by her. It made life interesting and oh, so much fun.
Another loud report sounded from outside, this time followed by laughter and more noisy snaps and Raph pulled back. "Sounds like they're having fun."
"Wanna get em wet?" Alex asked, tapping a large pail on the floor beside her that he hadn't noticed with the toe of her white canvas shoe.
"What's that?" Leaning over, he looked down into the pail and laughed when he saw several multi colored water balloons submerged in water and floating amidst ice cubes. "Man, you're kinda evil hun."
"And you love it. Come on, grab the bucket."
They walked out onto the porch and thick as thieves, scanned the yard for their prey. They stood under one of the many oaks that took up the sprawling front yard and provided shade from the intense heat. From the looks of it they were planning to light off another string of firecrackers. Leo and Mike were digging through paper bags as Don waited patiently, tapping a grill lighter against his open palm.
Alex glanced at the circular temperature gauge nailed to one of the porch support posts. Eighty seven degrees in the shade. "You know...we're probably just doing them a favor."
"Yeah...but its still fun."
Reaching into the pail, Alex pulled out a large, ice-cold water balloon and rolled it between her hands. "I can get Mikey, but you'll have to take care of Donny and Leo."
"Not a problem." Raph set he pail down and pulled out two water balloons for himself. Then, exchanging a mischievous look with Alex, they pulled their arms back and took aim.
"Incoming!!" Raph yelled as the balloons flew through the air and hit their targets dead on.
"HEY! What the-."
"RAPH!"
The two on the porch laughed and grabbed more balloons, hurling them at Leo, Don and Mikey without even caring if they hit them or not.
"Leo! Hose!" Mike yelled, ducking behind a tree.
The blue masked turtle ran for the hose, which lay rolled up beside the house. Alex saw what he was attempting to do and winged a water balloon at him, running for the hose as she did so. What took place after that was nothing short of a massive water war. Leo and Alex fought over the hose, both laughing and getting soaked in the process. Someone had managed to find a bunch of super soakers that were all filled with freezing water and used on the nearest victim. When Casey and April showed up they were given no mercy and were more or less forced to join in on the fun. Luckily, Master Splinter had opted to stay in. A very good idea, because to those involved in the fight, it didn't matter who they were soaking, as long as they were getting them good.
Around five they all agreed to call it quits and did their best to dry off before sitting down for a massive picnic in honor of the holiday. After that they sat around and talked until the sun started to sink in the horizon and then they hiked to the small pond behind the house where Don had set up an impressive display of pyrotechnics. Proud of his work, he was excited to show it to everyone and left them to get situated as he went to make sure every remote was set.
Off in the distance some neighbors had already started their festivities and bright lights would occasionally light the dusky sky, followed by a distant boom and faint cheers and clapping. Choosing a spot beneath a tree that was slightly secluded from the others, Raph leaned back against the massive trunk and Alex leaned back against him. They'd brought a checkered blanket with, more for protection from the mosquitoes than the actual chill of the coming night and were wrapped up in it.
"You know," Alex said softly as they waited for Donny to finish whatever preparations he had to make, "you've changed a lot Mr. Hothead."
Raph smiled and tightened his arms around her. "Yeah? What makes you say that?"
"You just have. You've mellowed. Its not a huge change...but we all see it. You've conquered whatever demons were within you. That rage you couldn't control...its not there any more. You've changed."
"You and me both babe."
She tilted her head back and looked up at him. "I've changed?"
"Well sure. You used to be jumpy and scared all the time. You're more confident now. You kinda take things on without doubting yourself. It's a small change," he said, taking her line, "but we all see it, and we're proud of you."
They fell silent and Alex started humming. It was a song he knew well, one that had really suckered him in and she knew it. She loved to sing it to him and she did so right then, just a little insert from the song...the part that meant something to both of them in ways they couldn't explain. In a voice that was as gentle as the wind, soft enough only for him to hear, she sang.
I just want you to know
I found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you
Raph smiled, moving his hand down her arm, over her ribs and then laid it on her stomach, which had just started to firm over the past month. The first burst of light filled the sky over their heads, all blues and silvers, sizzling and crackling in the silence.
"Do you think she'll like it hear?" he asked softly, rubbing Alex's stomach in slow circles.
Alex placed her hand over his and nodded. "She'll love it here honey. She'll love it any where we are, be it here or back at the lair...as long as we're all together as a family."
She tilted her head back and reached up, placing her hand on the side of his face and pulling him down for a quick kiss. "You, who is never afraid of anything is nervous about being a daddy. That's so cute Raph."
He rolled his eyes and grumbled, biting back a smile. Together they turned their gazes to the sky and watched the brilliant burst of color fill the sky. Every now and then Mikey would exaggerate on his awed exclamations and they would all laugh, other times they would all cheer at a particularly massive explosion of glittering colors and they all at one time thought about how wonderful it was to be together and alive. Yes, life was good.
THE END!!!