I DON NOT OWN TMNT::sob: wish I did but don't. Please don't sue me! I'm a poor college student with only $2.00 to my name. Seriously! That's all I got. I do own the OCs though.

We Just Keep Fighting

By: The Tenshi Chu

Prologue

Madison winced as the hot water of the shower beat down on her back, hoping that it would wash any possible infection from the cuts and bruises she had just received. She usually didn't take showers when he was home but she knew that he was passed out on the floor of his bed room right now so she would be safe to do so. Besides, Peter would warn her by hitting the door if he woke up. Madison looked at the purpling bruise on her face in the reflection of the shower nozzle. This time had been bad. Peter was nursing a sore jaw too.

Madison smiled sadly to herself. The image of her younger brother jumping on her father's back when he'd grabbed her, in attempt to save her was fresh in her mind. Unfortunately their father proved to be just a little bit more than the thirteen year old boy could handle. He proved this by throwing Peter off his back effortlessly before punching him in the jaw. Madison had thrown something at her father to try and get his attention while Peter got the other kids into their bedroom and locked the door. She took the extra blows from her father's drunken stupor but it didn't matter because it meant that he would use up all of his energy on her so her younger brothers and sisters would be safe from him.

There were five of them all together; herself, the twins Peter and Kaylin, Molly and baby Brian; and they all shared a bedroom. Madison and Peter used to have their own rooms but now the mind set of safety in numbers was important. Madison, Molly and Kaylin now slept on a full sized bed, Peter on a cot at the end of the bed, and Brian in his playpen. Madison slept on the outside of her sisters in case their father tried to come in during the middle of the night. Madison gritted her teeth at the thought of her father laying his perverted hands on Kaylin and Molly. Molly was probably affected by their father's cruelty the most; at least mentally.

She didn't talk anymore. The child hadn't said a word since last year. Not after what happened. Soon after their mother died, their father had come after Molly and Kaylin in the middle of the night. Kaylin and Peter had been out on a camping trip with their class thankfully and Grandma had taken Brian for the night but that still left Molly and Madison home.

Madison remembered very clearly that Molly had climbed into bed in her with her sometime early in the evening, which she didn't mind because she was very close to Molly. Awhile later though Madison was rudely awakened when her father grabbed her by the hair and threw her off the bed. It didn't take Madison more then a millisecond to become fully awake and alert of the situation and she immedietly attacked him. She had taught herself basic karate skills but resorted to throwing herself on his back in attempt to make him get his attention off the Molly or at least take his drunken lust out on her to spare the young girl but he merely threw her off, slammed her to the ground and beat her to unconsciousness before proceeding to have his way with the little girl who at the time was only six years old. Molly hadn't said a word since. Madison spent every night since then comforting the shattered child. She had known all to well the sickening feeling of his hands roughly grabbing her in a way no one should.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

"Shut up, you slut," he sneered, his breath heavy with the scent of alcohol. "It's not like you haven't slept with half the boys at your school. I'm just taking what you owe me."

"I don't owe you anything, you perverted son of a bitch!"

Madison still had bruises from that beating. Her father's beatings had grown steadily worse over the years, beating her siblings as well, all though she had been slightly successful in keeping Brian safe. A ten month old baby could not with stand the utter brutality of their father's fists. His normal target was her self; probably because she resembled her mother the most with her green eyes and shimmering honey brown hair. The other children resembled him with their bright blue eyes and either blonde or light brown hair. Except for Molly; she had looked like Mama too. Well for whatever reason, he didn't go after them as much, which she preferred, but when he did Madison made sure that she was there to defend them the best she knew how to. And believe it or not she did know a lot.

There was a quick tap on the door and her brother poked his head in, "Maddy, you'd better hurry up. I don't know how much longer he'll be out."

"Thanks, Peter," Madison heard the door click shut and she turned off the water. Stepping out, she barely dried herself before throwing her battered old jeans and grungy t-shirt back on. She looked down to make sure her necklace was still around her neck. To anyone else it was probably an extremely strange charm but it held a bit more meaning to Madison. Each of the children had a similar charm around their necks though they were each a different shape Actually Brian's was around Madison's neck for now until he learned not to try and eat it. Brought together they made a heart. Each charm had the child's first initial engraved on it. The charms had been a gift from their mother the Christmas before she died.

Satisfied that it was still there, Madison wrapped her hair in the towel and made a quick dash for the bedroom. Peter and the kids were all there waiting for her; they were a sight to see. They were all very fair skinned naturally but had become near ghost like pale over the years of abuse. Their tattered and over sized clothes made them look twice as skinny as they actually were. It wasn't like they were actually poor though, their father had a good paying job but used quite a bit of their money on alcohol and whatever was left over was harbored for his own selfish desires, or to keep up his cover as a loving suburban father.

Madison had a job in a pet store and whatever she made from that went for a few groceries and second hand store clothing for the kids. Kaylin usually sported light blue jeans and a dark blue quarter sleeved top, while Molly preferred her well loved faded pink dress that mother had given her for her birthday one year. It was no shock that the dress still fit even after two years because Molly was just as small at the age of 8 as she was at the age of 6. Peter, in his worn out jeans and baggy dark green sweat shirt, sat on the edge of the bed holding a first aid kit.

Madison smiled, "My hero." She planted a kiss on his forehead.

Peter's pale cheeks held a hint of pinkness, "Oh shut up and sit down."

Madison gently lifted his chin up so that she could examine the large purpling bruise on his face, "Did you put ice on this?" she asked, gently running her fingers over it, watching him look determined to not let her know that it did indeed hurt.

"I'm fine, Maddy, sit down so I can fix your back," he ordered.

Madison half smirked but sat down, and removed her shirt just enough so that he could do what he could. Peter opened the small box, looked in and frowned. All that was left in the battered box was a few band-aids and one small, very small, packet of Neosporin. Not enough to protect all of the wounds.

"Just do what you can, Petie," Madison said, reading his mind.

Peter nodded and got to work, concentrating on the worst of the gashes. Molly got up from her place on the bed and wedged her way in to Madison's lap, who welcomed the little girl warmly by wrapping her arms around her and resting her head on top of Molly's.

"Alright there, Mol?" she asked, smoothing out Molly's ratted dress and tilting her face up to her own. The little girl merely dropped her head again and snuggled closer to her sister, re-bunching up her dress. "Ok, Baby, ok. It's ok."

"That's all I can do, Maddy," Peter said, closing the now empty box and frowning at the very poor condition of his older sister's back. "It's not much but…"

"Better than nothing, thank you, Peter," Madison reached around and squeezed his leg as she re-donned her shirt. "Kay? You alright, honey?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she said, moving to sit right next to her twin brother. "That was really bad this time, Maddy."

Madison hugged Molly tight and sighed, "I know, I know. I'm working on it ok?"

"We should just get out of here!" Peter snapped. "We could go somewhere where we could be happy. I could take karate or kick boxing or something and then come back and show him..."

"Peter," Madison shifted around and faced her two siblings. "Stop it."

"No!" he shot. "He keeps hurting us! You're the worst off because you keep taking most of the crap that he dishes out so we'll be ok. And look what he did to Molly! She doesn't even talk anymore for god sakes! And what's gonna happen when that jackass goes too far and kills you?"

"I said stop it, Peter!" Madison said with more force than she had intended but it rendered him silent all the same. "One; Watch your language around the kids. I don't need Brian's first words to be swear words and two; we have enough problems with out you getting hysterical and wanting to haul off and try and beat the crap out of the very same man who just chucked you across the room like a rag doll and Three; You're going to scare the others with talk like that, do you here me, Peter Ranen Miller? Knock it off!"

"Yes, Ma'am," he muttered, quickly quieting.

"I don't want to get angry at you, guys," she said more softly. "I just need you to trust me ok?"

"Ok."

"Ok."

Molly just looked at her so Madison took that as a yes. Madison smiled at her younger brother and sisters, hoping to give them some sort of reassurance that everything would be ok. She removed the towel from her damp long hair and let them fall around her face. Molly picked up one lock and played with it. Madison smiled down at the little girl in her lap. What she wouldn't give to hear her sweet voice again. Just a few words; just to know that there was still a soul left in the young child. A sudden harsh pounding on the bed room door interrupted her thoughts as the door flew open to allow a man looking rather drunk and slightly pissed off, in.

"What the hell are all you basterds doin'?" he asked, his speech slurred. "Why aren't you doin' yer homework or something?"

"It's 11pm, Dad," Kaylin said. "We should be sleeping."

"Than why the hell aren't you sleeping?"

"Because a certain idiot came in the door, drunk, and started beaten the crap out of Madison," Peter growled under his breath.

"What'd you say, boy?" their father snarled.

"Nothing, Sir."

"Don't back talk me, Boy!"

"Dad, Peter wasn't talking back," Madison said, getting up off the ground and setting Molly next to Kaylin. "He was just…"

Madison was cut off with a sharp slap across the face. Peter made a move to get off the bed but Madison held a hand up to signal for him to stay where he was. Kaylin wrapped her arms around Molly who pressed herself close to her sister. Their father smirked sinisterly at Peter, his hand still raised in the air from hitting Madison, "Did that make ya mad, Boy?" he hissed. "Does that make you wanna try and take me down like you did last time?"

Peter felt Madison put her hand over his clenched fist, "No."

Their father eyed Madison's hand over Peter's. "So yer the key, eh Maddy?"

"Key, Dad?" Madison said with a venomous innocence.

"If yer calm, they're calm. If yer upset, they lose it," their father strutted over and grabbed Madison's face roughly. "So the question is how I get you upset?" His smile promised pain but Madison scowled darkly at him, showing him no fear just pure hatred. He smirked and roughly shoved her down on the bed. "You think yer so tough, Madison? You know I can break you with my bare hands."

"Nothing you do to me can get to me," she snarled.

"For once yer right about something," he smirked again and moved over to the play pin where Brian was peacefully slumbering. Madison's eyes grew large when he picked the child up. "Nothing I do to you can get to you. However if I simply take the kid here and…"

"No!" Madison jumped up off the bed as her father moved towards the open window.

"What?" he mocked sitting on the window sill. "You don't trust me with my own son?"

"Not when you're drunk and near an open window," Madison looked desperate when her father started the pretend to play air plane with the sleeping child. "Wait! Stop! Please, Dad, don't hurt him!"

Her father grinned cruelly and pushed himself off the sill, "Get on yer knees." Loathing in her eyes, Madison obeyed. "Beg," he sneered. "Beg for my forgiveness."

Madison did, her self respect dissolving with each word but her determination to keep the baby safe and acid like hatred grew. Her father moved over to her, grabbed her by the hair and roughly jerked her head back, alcohol thick on his breath. "You are mine, Bitch, all of you are, and I will do with you as I wish. Do you hear me?" Madison glared at him. "DO YOU HEAR ME?" he back handed her across the face, rendering her to the floor. He threw the baby on the bed before grabbing Madison by the hair again and undoing his belt. Brian started to cry as their father brought his belt down on Madison's back again and again; they heard loud sickening slaps every time the belt made contact with Madison's flesh. As the belt tore through her thin shirt, pieces of the cloth went flying with every swipe. Kaylin held Molly and Brian close while Peter did his best to shield them from the sight of their father beginning to kick and stomp on their sister with his work boots. He knelt down and began to deliver a series of punches. He didn't stop until Madison had stopped moving completely, then stood back up and shook his belt at the others, "All of you should take a lesson from this. Never! Ever! Talk back to your father. You hear?"

"Yes sir," came a meek reply from underneath Peter's arms.

"Good," he gave Madison a final kick before stumbling out of the door and slamming the door behind him. Peter and the others immediately flew off the bed to the floor where their sister lay unmoving.

" Madison!" Peter shook her gently. She stirred a bit and he helped her up, swearing at the sight of blood dripping from her nose and forehead. He looked at her back and saw that their father had hit her so hard that her shirt was in ribbons and she was bleeding from her back again. Not only were there new deeper gashes but most of her old wounds had been re-opened. "Maddy? Maddy, please, say something!"

Madison's eye fluttered a bit, though she couldn't open one completely. "Brian…" she whispered. "Where is Brian…?"

"He's ok, Maddy, he's fine," Peter said hoisting her up to lay her on the bed, trying desperately to stop his tears. "You're bleeding!"

"I'm fine," she said, pushing her self up and pushing her pain aside though there was a lot of pain.

"The hell you are!"

"Peter, what did I just say about swearing?"

"Sorry."

"Maddy," Kaylin sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand over Madison's, her tears falling freely. "You can't keep this up. He's eventually gonna kill you."

"It's not me I'm worried about," Madison said, taking the still crying Brain from Kaylin; checking him over at least twice to make sure that he was indeed ok. "Shh, Brian, shh, it's alright, Baby." Madison held Brian close, calming him down enough to where he wasn't crying anymore. She couldn't believe their father had just done that. He had never gone so far to get her upset before. And now that he knew how to upset her, he would stop at nothing to make sure that Brian suffered just to watch Madison break. She wouldn't give him that opportunity; Kaylin and Peter were right. As soon as the baby fell back to sleep, Madison got up to put him in his play pin. Peter and Kaylin helped her back to the bed. She sighed and hung her head for a moment. "Peter, go and see if he is sleeping again." Peter nodded and quietly slipped out of the room for a few moments.

"He grabbed another case of beer, went into his room and locked the door," he said when he had returned.

"Good, that means that he'll be there for the rest of the night," Madison said, she looked up at Peter and Kaylin with a very serious expression. "Listen to me carefully you two. In about an hour, because I know he'll be out by then, I want you both to start getting stuff together. Not a lot, just a change of cloths, underwear, toothbrushes and whatever you think is absolutely vital. If you have any money at all bring that too, I don't care if it is a handful of pennies, bring it. Kaylin, take Molly with you and help her, do not forget her medicine. Peter, I want you to help me get Brian's stuff ready now so you won't have to worry about anything when you are done getting your stuff except to get him into his little traveling sleeper. I'm going to get some other things together. I'll give you no more than 20 minutes to get this stuff together. The longer we wait the harder it will be to do this. Got it?"

They nodded.

"And I can not emphasize enough how important it is for you to be quiet," she said. "I want ninjas to be louder than you. OK?"

They nodded again. An hour and fifteen minutes later all five children were standing back in the room, each donning a back pack that looked stuffed. Being as silent and swift as possible the kids had been quicker in getting ready than Madison had expected but their determination to get out put her at a little more ease with the situation. After changing her shirt, Madison had rounded up her own things and all the money she could possibly find, including all the cash in her father's wallet, which added up to about $87.42, his debit card, and even about $4.50 from the couch cushions. She knew she had at least a thousand in a secret bank account she had started several years ago and between the three younger kids there was another $28.23. She'd count it all later but she was sure they had at least $110.

That was fine for now, they'd get more later. Madison stuffed the money and card in a zip lock baggie then into the side zipper pocket of the dipper bag she and Peter had already stuffed full of diapers and other random baby items. She was grateful her mother had decided to buy one of the gigantic ones before she died. Set on the ground was a duffle bag that she had shoved two or three blankets in, along with a few other random items including yet more baby stuff. Her own back pack was slung over her shoulder. She looked at each of her siblings. Kaylin and Molly looked terrified that their father was going too burst into the room at any moment and kill them all. Peter's eyes were cold and determined; Brian just snoozed away silently. Madison motioned for them all to come over to the window and pointed to the tree just outside of it.

"This is the only way we can get out unnoticed. For as stupidly drunk as he is, he'll hear the front door if it opens," she said. "Peter, I want you to climb down and I'll lower Molly down to you."

Molly grabbed Madison's hand and fiercely shook her head. Madison mentally kicked herself. Molly was terrified of heights. "I'm sorry, Mol, I completely forgot," she turned back to Peter. "Do you think you could carry her down on your back and I'll drop the bags down to you?"

"Yeah."

Madison went over to one of the dressers, pulled out a black bandana and tied it around Molly's eyes before hoisting her up onto Peter's back. He skillfully climbed out of the window with Molly and began climbing down the tree. Molly clung to her brother tightly. Once on the ground, Peter set Molly down. She took her blind fold off and adjusted her faded purple sweater while Peter caught their two backpacks, diaper bag and duffle bag that Madison tossed down to him. They then watched Kaylin climb out the window and into the tree, Brian asleep in a baby carrier on her back. Peter helped her down and made sure that Brian was still sleeping. If he woke up they were all dead, however luckily Brian was a deep sleeper and usually slept all night.

He looked up just in time to be able to catch two more back packs before watching Madison climb out of the window and down the tree as well. He could see the blood had stained the rim of her jeans. She landed on the ground with a soft thud and took the sleeping Brian from Kaylin, strapping him to her front. Peter slung the duffle bag over his shoulder and Kaylin adjusted her pack to comfortably accommodate the diaper bag. Madison zipped up her randomly colored hoodie jacket, adjusted her own back pack, check one last time to make sure that Brian was still sound asleep, then without a word gently took Molly's trembling hand and began leading them out of the yard and down the street; the domain from hell disappearing in the distance the further they walked. They walked in silence for about an hour before anyone dared to say a word.

"Where are we gonna go, Maddy?" Kaylin asked.

Madison hadn't really thought about that yet but she spoke the first place she could think of, " New York."