Those Late Nights
A/N: Just another one shot I thought about. One thing about the Nick show is that Casey and April have no parental figures besides Splinter and Kirby, in April's case, and Casey has a dad, but we never see him. I admit that when I first heard about April and Casey being teenagers in this version, I wasn't happy about it. As the show has gone on, there are some things about those two I don't like (Casey's arrogance and April's powers getting stronger for the most part), but despite those things, there are times where the two of them are pretty cool. So I thought it would be neat if my OC, Willow, became a mother figure for both of them so they can have someone to advise them. This one shot will focus on Casey, and there will be one about April, too, once I figure it out. I hope you enjoy this one shot. And thanks to those who reviewed my other one shot. That means a lot to me.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and Willow Green.
Summary: While out on a late night run, Willow runs into Casey Jones and learns that she has a lot in common with the teenage vigilante.
The night was clear as she leaped across the rooftops. She had just finished a tiring day at the dojo and was ready for some action because she didn't want to stay home alone anymore. What was the fun in that when you had all of New York City at your disposal?
Just as she leapt from one of the rooftops, she heard a commotion in the alley. Curious, she went to investigate and saw a boy in a hockey mask ruffing up the Purple Dragons.
"And that'll teach ya to mess with old ladies!" the boy scoffed as he tied the thugs up and left something on one their foreheads. Then he climbed up the building and smiled in satisfaction.
"Shouldn't you be doing your homework, Mr. Jones?" Willow asked him.
He let out a yelp as he turned and saw her standing there. "How did you know it was me?" he asked her, not bothering to disguise his voice.
"I've seen you around the city at night," she answered. "You're lucky those guys didn't kill you."
He rolled his eyes. "Them? Nah, they can't touch me. I'm too good."
"Would you say that if someone else tried to kill you?"
"Maybe not, but those guys can't do it. They're too stupid to bother with."
"I see. Does your father know you're out here?"
"No. He's probably passed out again."
Willow detected a note of sadness in his voice, and her heart broke for the boy. "When did it start?" she asked softly.
"After Mom died of cancer," he answered. "That's when he started drinkin' all the time. I thought about runnin' away, but I knew I couldn't leave Angel behind. She's all I got left."
"You could have taken her with you," she suggested.
"I know, but she's so young. She has her friends here and school, too. I can't take that away from her no matter what. I owe it to her to give her a good life even if Dad can't."
"Has he ever hit you?"
"He hit Angel once, but I got on him for that. Gave him a black eye and told him if he ever abused her like that again I was gonna make sure he didn't survive."
Willow smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good job, Jones."
He looked surprised at her tone. "You're not gonna lecture me about hittin' my old man? Why not?"
She laughed. "Let's just say I've been there myself. I beat my dad's ass when I was in high school after he hit my mom. He drank a lot too."
"When did it start for you?"
"After he lost his job," she answered. "He just got drunk and kept thinking it would be better for him to just keep drinking. He did get another job, but he couldn't shake the alcohol no matter what. After he hit Mom again, I defended her and threatened to cut his throat if he did it again. That was the wake- up call, and he never hit her again. He just trashed our stuff or tried to take it out on me, though I defended myself each time. He never even got mad about it. He would just cry after one of his spells and promise never to do it again."
"Man, that sucks," Casey said softly.
"Yeah, it does. He died in a car crash, and most people said it was a good thing because he wouldn't be around to be a menace to society."
"Do you feel that way?"
"Sometimes I do. But there are other times where I remember the good times we used to have, and I miss that. I know Mom misses him, too. She really did love him, and I think she hoped that maybe one day he'd wake up and see what he was doing to himself."
"But he didn't," said Casey.
"No, he didn't. I really wish there was something I could do for you, Casey. I wish that I could go over there and beat up your dad until he got the picture of what he was doing to you. But the sad thing is that I can't. I can't make him change. He has to do it himself. But for what it's worth, if you need help, I'll give it to you. If you feel you can't stay with him because you think he's dangerous, you and your little sister are always welcome to stay with me no matter what."
"Thanks for the offer, Miss G., but I don't know if I wanna impose our company on you."
"It's not a bad thing, Casey. I'm happy to help you."
"Well, thanks for that. I'll be sure to take it into consideration. You know, you're pretty awesome for an old lady."
She punched his shoulder. "Manners, Mr. Jones," she chastised.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that most of the adults in my life don't wanna talk to me that much."
"I understand. Do the Turtles know about this?"
"Only Raph does. I haven't told the others, and I don't want to."
"Why is that?"
"I guess I'm just afraid they'll judge me for it."
"I doubt they would. They're all nice boys, and I think they'd understand your situation."
"I'll tell them when I'm ready."
"Fair enough. Do you think it's about time you went home?"
He sighed. "Yeah, I guess I should go check on my sis. Thanks for talkin' to me, Miss G. I really appreciate it."
"Anytime, Casey. And you can call me Willow."
"Great. See you later, Willow."
"See you later, Casey." She smiled at him and then leapt the rooftops as she made her way back to her apartment while Casey made his way back to his own home.
22222
I learned a lot from Casey that night. Sometimes just talking to someone makes you learn more about who they really are. Casey hides his pain very well, but you can see it's there. I think that's why he goes out at night to take care of the streets. He knows that his own life is horrible, and he wants to make sure no one else suffers, too. It's also a way to take out his anger on where his life has led him and how horrible his father really is. I just wish there was something I could do for him to help him out of this mess, but I guess being a friend is all I can do. Then again maybe that's not a bad thing.
Well, it's getting late again. I guess I better head to bed since I have do have to pay the rent on this place. Granted, if worse comes to worse, I could always move into the Lair. I bet Splinter would love that. I know I would. But for now, I'm off to bed.
Until next time,
Willow
A/N: And that's the end of another one shot. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.