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Perseverance	By : EvaBrick Category: Comics > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 9920 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Donatello tucked his shell cell back into his belt and reached down to take Charlie’s hand in his as they walked back to her apartment building. Neither one of them noticed the dark figure watching them from the roof of the bookstore.

“Are they all coming?” Charlie asked, giving his warm fingers a squeeze. She was really worried about the turtles. Don’s nerves were obviously shot, and he was such a sensible, stable person. Charlie frowned ever so slightly. Master Splinter was right - the boys wouldn’t be able to face his death on their own. She straightened her back. She’d take care of them… especially Donnie.

“Yeah,” Don said, too excited to notice her frown. “They’re really excited to have somewhere to go tonight… especially Mikey! The only time he’s been out of the lair in months was when we went to check out those trucks the other night. I took his cast off today, by the way.”

Charlie grinned. “Is he going to keep it as a memento?”

“Yup!” Don said, “It’s already on the floor in his room.”

They both laughed and walked the rest of the way back in companionable silence. Don couldn’t stop thinking about his family - especially Leo. Leo had seemed particularly relieved that they weren’t going to have to spend the evening moping around the lair. It was all well and good for Splinter to tell him that he was going to lead his brothers when the old rat passed away, but now that he was actually facing that reality, he felt nervous and sick about it. That was another one of those things that the other turtles knew about but never brought up.

Charlie fished her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door to her building. They quietly hurried up the back stairs to her apartment and scurried inside before the neighbours could see them. Don hung his hat and coat up on the rack, and Charlie kicked off her boots and tossed her keys on the table.

“Will you order the pizza Donnie? I need to take a quick shower before the guys get here. You got me all sweaty.” She winked at him and hurried down the hall to the bathroom.

Don grinned like a monkey and went to find the cordless phone.

***************
Charlie showered as quickly as she could - she didn’t want to be caught in her birthday suit when the guys turned up at the bathroom window. She rinsed the last of the shampoo out of her hair, grabbed a towel, and rushed into her bedroom. She pulled on a soft pair of blue panties and a matching bra and went rummaging through her closet for some clothes.

There was a soft knock at the door. “Pizza’s ordered, and I’ve made you some coffee, ok?” Don called through the wood.

Charlie grabbed a denim, knee-length skirt and a light-green t-shirt. “Thanks, Donnie,” she said, pulling them quickly on. “You’re wonderful, you know.”

Outside the door, Don’s chest puffed and he smiled. He liked making her happy. He stepped back in surprise as she yanked the door open in front of him. She was still towelling some water out of her hair, and she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

“You ok, Donnie? She asked, turning to chuck the towel into the laundry hamper in her room. She turned back to face him and rested a warm hand on his plastron.

He sighed and nodded, letting her hands slide up his chest to gently stroke his neck and face. “Yeah,” he said, placing his palms on her hips and then slowly sliding them around to the small of her back. “I’m ok… but I wouldn’t be without you.”

Don lowered his head so he could rest his forehead on hers. She was smiling at him, but she looked tired, and without her makeup, he could see the dark circles under her eyes.

“How did I ever get along without you, Donnie?” Charlie whispered, placing a tiny kiss on his big nose. Don’s chest tightened and he scooped her up in a strong hug, lifting her feet off the floor. Her hair was damp and cool against his face, and he breathed her deeply in.

“You always smell so good, baby,” he said, as she stroked the back of his head, sliding the ends of his mask through her fingers. Donatello turned his head and nuzzled her cheek. It tickled her a bit and she smiled, turning to catch his mouth in a soft kiss.

Someone cleared his throat nearby. “Uh… I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Leo said, looking amused. Don and Charlie turned their heads to look at the bathroom door where his three brothers were standing, snickering. He grinned and set Charlie back down on the floor, but kept an arm around her shoulders.

“That’s ok, we forgive you,” Charlie laughed, ushering them into the livingroom. The doorbell rang as they sat down. The turtles froze.

“Yo, Pizza!” a voice outside shouted. The brothers jumped up and hurried into the bedroom, their feet not making a single sound on the floor as they walked. Charlie grabbed her purse and went to the door.

“Hey,” she said, opening it. Her eyes nearly bugged out at the stack of boxes he was holding.

“$31.50,” the guy said, trying to look past her into her apartment.

“Right,” Charlie said, rummaging through her purse for her wallet.

“That’s a lotta pizza for a skinny thing like you, isn’t it?” The pizza guy said, looking her up and down.

“Uh-huh,” Charlie answered, trying to be non-committal. She fished some bills out of her purse and paid him.

“You really gonna eat all this yourself?” he asked, still staring at her.

Charlie took the stack of boxes out of his hands. She just knew that the turtles were snickering at her behind the bedroom door.

“Every slice,” she said, kicking the door shut.

“Well the pizza guy thinks I’m a big, fat pig!” Charlie laughed, carrying the stack of pizzas into the livingroom. She set them down on the coffee table and went to the kitchen to get some glasses and plates. The turtles reappeared and flopped back down on the furniture. Leo sat on the floor this time and Raphael took the chair. Don and Michelangelo each took and end of the couch.

Charlie heard a series of rasps and thumps and looked behind her as the turtles peeled off their weapons and dumped them in a heap on the floor. Leo slid the pile under the coffee table with his foot.

“I dunno,” Mikey said. “Some guys like a girl with a healthy appetite.” He twisted sideways in his seat, hooking a knee over the armrest.

“Five pizza with the works does not constitute a healthy appetite,” Charlie laughed, as she passed out the dishes.

Donatello opened the top box and tried to pick up a slice. None of the cuts had gone all the way through the crust.

“Ugh, I hate when they do that!” Leo said, reaching under the coffee table for his katanas. Don slid his hands under the big pizza and suddenly tossed the whole thing straight up into the air. Like lightening, Leo swished the swords and the pizza fell back into the box in neat slices.

The turtles laughed at the shocked look on Charlie’s face. “Katanas have the sharpest blades in the world,” Leo said with a shrug as Leo grabbed a napkin and wiped the pizza sauce off his weapons.

“Um…there are knives in the kitchen drawer, y’know,” Charlie said, reaching for a slice.

“Yeah, but what’s the point of being a ninja if you can’t use your skills around the house?” Leo snickered, sliding the blades back under the table.

“Thanks for inviting us, Charlie,” Mikey said, as he heaped several slices onto his plate. “You have no idea how great it feels to be out of the lair!”

Charlie sat down in the middle of the couch and reached for a slice. “That’s for sure. I think you could count on one hand the number of days out of the year that I don’t go to the store.”

“You go to work every day?” Mikey gasped, horrified.

“Yeah. We’re not open on Sundays, but I usually go in to do paperwork in the afternoon.” Charlie said, dabbing the grease off her pizza with a napkin. “Although, I haven’t been there quite as much lately,” she said, smiling shyly at Don.

“Well, what do ya do when ya get the flu?” Raphael asked, pouring the last of the first bottle of Coke into his glass.

Charlie looked at him and blinked in confusion for a moment. “Get the flu? I don’t have time to get sick!” She got up with a sigh and went to the fridge for another bottle.

“Don’t have time ta get sick?” Raphael said, incredulously. “When was the last time ya took a day off, anyway?”

“Last Sunday,” Charlie replied with her head inside the fridge. She found another bottle and pulled it out.

Raphael rolled his eyes at his brothers. This chick was more uptight than Leo! “No,” he said, “I mean when was the last time ya took a day off when the store was open?”

Charlie bunted the fridge door shut with her hip and stood still for a moment to think. “Three months ago,” she replied, walking back over to them. She flopped back down on the couch next to Donatello who wrapped his big arm around her shoulders, snuggling her in close. Part of him felt like he should be defending her, but he was also relieved that Raphael was sticking it to her. Don knew that Charlie was a bit too thin and pale, and that she worked herself to the point of exhaustion, but he could never bring himself to give her a good talking to like his brother was doing now.

“And why was that?” Raphael pressed.

Charlie winced and mumbled something that the turtles couldn’t quite make out.

“Say again?” Raph asked.

“I had a dentist appointment,” Charlie mumbled begrudgingly. Michelangelo looked aghast.

“And did that take all day?” Raphael continued in a syrupy voice.

Charlie sighed, finally defeated. “No. It was just for part of the afternoon.”

“Then ya definitely owe yerself a break,” Raphael concluded. “We’ll leave for the farm on Friday morning, and be back on Sunday evening. You’ll only miss two days.”

“Well…” Charlie mused. “I suppose I could get Lisa to open and close-”

“Then it’s settled,” Mikey said, hitting ‘play’ on the remote. “Now both of you shut up so the rest of us can hear the movie.”

Charlie sighed and looked at Don who just grinned and shrugged. “You’ll like the farm,” he said, squeezing her hand gently with his spare one. There’s a great swimming hole.”

“Shh!” Mikey hissed.

Don threw a couch cushion at his head, which Mikey caught easily and sent sailing back. Charlie grabbed it out of the air before Don could and dropped it behind the couch where they couldn’t reach it. Raphael and Leonardo snickered quietly as Charlie rolled her eyes and settled back into the couch.

She leaned against Don and lay her head down on his shoulder. She was so tired all the time… maybe Raphael was right… maybe she did need a break. She felt Don’s muscled arms circle around her and she relaxed a bit. He was so warm…

Don stroked her hair absently as he watched the movie. He still felt bad about how he’d behaved earlier, even though she kept reassuring him that she wasn‘t mad or hurt. Don sighed inwardly. He was a ninja for goodness’ sake! He was supposed to be tougher than that. He shouldn’t be breaking down in tears in front of his new girlfriend. He promised himself that he’d make it up to her somehow at the farm.

*******************

Charlie sat bolt upright when the phone rang.

Mikey hit paused "Enter the Dragon" on the remote and Raphael picked up the cordless from the coffee table to look at the caller I.D. “G. Ferguson,” he said. Charlie blanched.

“Shit! Don’t answer that - it’s my mother.”

The turtles exchanged glances and the phone kept ringing. “You sure you don’t want to talk to her?” Leo asked. “ I mean, I know she doesn’t call you much and you don’t get along, but it might be something important.”

Charlie sighed and rubbed her eyes. “She’s just going to complain about Dad’s bail and then lecture me about how pathetic I am because I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“But you do have a boyfriend,” Mikey said. The phone kept ringing as Charlie turned to look at Don.

“Hi,” he grinned.

“But she won’t be able to meet you - what would the police say when both of my parents start telling them stories about seeing giant turtles?”

The phone kept ringing. “How long is she going to let it ring?” said Raph. “That’s fourteen rings by my count.”

“I told you that my parents are nuts,” Charlie grumbled.

“She doesn’t have to meet me,” Don said. “How often do you see her anyway?” Charlie winced and Don quickly put his arm around her shoulders. “Sorry, Charlie - I didn’t mean it like that.”

The phone kept ringing.

“Twenty-three,” Michelangelo said, frowning at the phone.

“Do you want me to answer it?” Don asked. “I can tell her you’re not home and then you can call her back when you’re ready.”

“Yes!” said Raphael, tossing his brother the phone. Don caught it in his free hand and looked at Charlie. She bit her lip nervously and nodded.

Don immediately hit the ‘talk’ button.

“Hello?” he said, cheerfully.

There was a long pause.

“This is Donatello… no, Charlotte’s not in just now, can I take a message?… I’m her boyfriend, and you’re?… Oh, how do you do, Ms. Ferguson?”

Don put his hand on Charlie’s knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. She put her hand on his and he rubbed the backs of her fingers with his big green thumb.

“I just finished reading your book, "Death in the Morning." I liked it very much,” Don continued, pulling a face.

“Sorry?… No, I’m not Italian…well… no, Japanese, actually.”

Charlie got up quickly and went into the kitchen. She sat down heavily at the table and covered her eyes with one hand. She bunched the other hand into a fist and softly thumped the table. This was so typical! How could her mother say something so embarrassing? Charlie knew her mother would think that dating an Italian would be bad enough, but a Japanese guy?

Someone sat down in the empty chair next to her and a big hand closed around her fist. Charlie peered through her fingers to look at the other hand. There was an orange band around the wrist.

“Oh Mikey,” she said, her hand falling away from her eyes as she turned to look at him. “How could she be so awful to a guy who tells her that he’s my boyfriend? I just know that she’s trying to drive him away… you guys don’t think that I care whether you’re Japanese, or Italian, or whatever, do you?”

“Of course not, babe!” Michelangelo said, laughing. “Don’t worry about it ok? Donnie can handle your Mom, no problemo. You just wait, he’ll have her eating out of his hand, yet.” Charlie nodded. She felt sick.

She sighed and sat back in her chair, not letting go of his hand. She was glad he’d followed her into the kitchen. The orange turtle was so light-hearted - she could do with a good dose of Michelangelo just now.

“Has she said anything else horrible?” Charlie asked.

“Nothing too bad,” Mikey grinned. “She’s giving Don the third degree about what he does for a living, and how you met, and where he lives, and what kind of car he drives… and…” Mikey squeezed her hand and sat back too. His shell thumped softly against the back of the chair. “And she wants to know why you didn’t bail your Dad out of jail. His lawyer keeps calling her because he can’t get a hold of you.”

“For fuck’s sake!” Charlie groaned, hiding her face in her arms on the table. Mikey rubbed her back.

“I know,” he said. “She’s being a bit of a bitch, but don’t worry about it, ‘k? We’ll take care of you.”

Charlie turned her head to see his face and when she saw his gentle half-smile, she knew he wasn’t lying.

“And just for the record,” Mikey continued, “It doesn’t bother us that you’re white and human.”
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Perseverance