Perseverance

I'm not making any money off this, nor do I own the Ninja Turtles - I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Thanks for the reviews! I love feedback! :)
~~~~~~~~~~

Charlie walked to work the next morning with a spring in her step. She’d been feeling kind of blue for the past few weeks, but Donatello had really cheered her up. When he went home, she wasn’t sure how to say goodnight. She was so grateful for everything he’d done... bandaging her leg, comforting her when she cried, seeing that she got some food, changing a light bulb that she wouldn’t have been able to reach... She’d hugged him before realizing what she was doing. She was worried she’d done the wrong thing when he didn’t hug her back right away, but then he’d slid his strong arms around her and pulled her in close, making her feel very safe.

“And he smelled good too”, she thought. “Like soap and leather... very manly.” That thought surprised her. What did she care how he smelled? “And he’s not a man,” she reminded herself. “Not really anyway... he probably wouldn’t even think I was attractive... not that I’d want him to... would I?” She wasn’t sure. It was always flattering to have a guy think she was desirable, but he wasn’t the average guy. He’d been so nice to her, though. If a human guy had done all those things for her, he’d be expecting to get laid. “But Don just seemed to want to hang out,” she mused, unlocking the bookstore door. “He didn’t try anything funny, so maybe... yeah, that’s probably it... they’re not attracted to humans."

She started walking to the back room, then turned and came back to the door. She clicked the deadbolt into place. “I need to be more careful about stuff like that. I can’t expect the turtles to come and save me every time.”

Charlie strolled into the back room and turned on the computer. She made a pot of coffee while she waited for it to boot up so she could check her internet orders. Her thoughts drifted back to Donatello as the water boiled. “He must have just come to check up on me. After all, he did say that that Splinter guy wanted one of them to help me clean up my place... it was just chance that it happened to be him.”

She sighed and sat down at the computer, wishing she wasn’t such a dork. If she was cooler, she’d go out more and find a nice boyfriend. Charlie looked into an old mirror hanging on the wall. Her grandfather had hung it there for her so she could check her hair back when she was a vain teenager. She smiled at herself. She still liked to check her hair. She sighed at her reflection. Even though she wished she had more friends and they elusive nice boyfriend, she was happy with who she was and she knew that she could never really settle for anyone who didn’t love her for who she was inside. She winked at herself and got to work.

The hours moved along quickly and soon it was time to close. She told her three employees how proud she was of them as she handed out their paychecks. “You guys are really great. The place is running like a well-oiled machine thanks to you.” She wasn’t just saying it either. They were smart, knowledgeable, and efficient. They could think for themselves without having to run to her every time there was a problem. The store was really prospering since she’d put this team together and she was seriously considering giving them a raise in the new year. She could only afford to give them a small one, but it was better than nothing, and she wanted to make sure that they wouldn’t go looking for jobs somewhere else.

She followed them to the door and waved them off as they went out. Up the street she saw two large men in trench coats and fedoras. She smiled, and went inside. They drew enough attention without having her staring at them.

“I wonder who Don’s brought with him”, she wondered.