Author's Note: This is a work in progress and with work and grad school, I may not update as much as I like but I'm trying to make my writing more of a priority now. It's a good stress reliever too.

Any characters from the TMNT universe are not mine, nor do I pretend they are. I'm merely borrowing them for a bit. :) Violet and the rest of her family and her friends are mine, however are mine. Now, onto the story! Enjoy!

The night wind whipped at Violet's hair, tugging little wisps free from her braid. She hugged herself tighter, once more wishing she was home with her family, safe and protected. Instead she was walking the grimy New York streets, looking for a little brother who took their game of hide and seek to a whole new level and for that would receive an earful when she found him. Of course it would be nothing in comparison to what her mother would do to her when she found out. Violet was the oldest, she was supposed to set an example, be able to control her little siblings. Violet scoffed at the idea and wondered if her mother ever remembered being young when she gave those speeches.

"Joey!" She called, wrapping her arms tightly around her body, hugging them to her to block out the cold. Where could he have gone? He was just a little boy…she smiled at the thought, realizing how absurd it was. Still… "Joseph Aaron Saunders, you come out this instant or I swear…," the threat died in her throat as fear slipped in, cutting off all sound but the blood rushing to her ears. This was New York City, not their comfortable home in the country away from the hustle and the bustle. That meant there was a chance that instead of playing her little brother was actually in trouble. And the mere thought of that made Violet panic, picking up speed and ignoring the cold that fiercely bit into her skin and rustled her clothes. "Joey! JOEY!" She shouted, almost screaming. The panic was rising, overwhelming her like a wave and she had no way to calm it, to think clearly.

"Violet!" His voice burst through her thoughts and she felt the wave subside briefly as she turned her body in the direction of his cry. "Violet!"

Violet ran to the mouth of an alley, seeing her little brother amongst the shadows and between two young boys, probably no more than twelve or thirteen. "Hey!" She shouted, anger taking over as she saw how one of them was holding Joey by his t-shirt, practically dangling him in the air.

"Whatcha gonna do about it, bitch?" The one holding Joey asked and she arched an eyebrow, glad her adrenaline was pumping too hard for her to think about rational things…like calling for help. Instead she strode into the alley, fists clenched, teeth grit as she sneered in their direction.

"I will rip you from limb to limb, you little shit," she snarled, slightly surprised at how violent she came across. Still, her words had the effect she'd been hoping for and the boys' eyes widened just touch. "Now put my brother down and beat it before I mess you up so bad your own mother wouldn't recognize you." The boys dropped Joey, taking off past Violet and her little brother without a word and nearly barreling into an innocent pedestrian at the same time. Violet watched as they went, still seething with fury. Joey's cries broke her reverie.

The little seven year old had balled his fists up, covering his eyes while he cried and Violet felt all the tension and anger drain away as she knelt before him, taking his little fists in her own hands and pulling them down to look into his dark blue eyes.

"Hey there, Lightning Bug," she said softly, using the nickname her father had given him when he was a toddler. "Why all the tears? They're gone now."

"They stole my shoes," he whimpered in reply, staring down at his socks.

"Well," Violet began, lifting him in her arms, cuddling him to her. "That's all right. We'll get you new shoes. Better that you're okay without shoes than not," she assured him, wiping at his nose with the sleeve of her jean jacket. "Now, let's get you back before Mama gets worried, okay?"

He nodded, burying his face against her as Violet stood and turned to leave the alley. Her gasp made Joey want to turn his head but she placed a hand over his face, turning him away from the view. He was already upset - seeing a line of five thugs blocking their exit wouldn't help matters. "Violet?" He whimpered softly and she shushed him gently, smoothing his hair and assessing the men that stood in their way.

The one in the middle was tall with pale features, a long, thin scar running down the left side of his face. His hair was a white blonde with an electric blue stripe running down the middle and his grey eyes were anything but friendly as he looked Violet up and down slowly. His lip curled back in a half laugh and he tilted his head to the other guys with him. "Take note, boys. When my little bro told me some chick threatened to beat him up I thought we'd find a biker bitch. Not Nancy Drew."

Violet arched an eyebrow at the pale young man. She lowered Joey to the ground, saying nothing but clutching his hand so tightly she was sure it hurt him. The leader motioned to Joey with a gloved hand. "That your bro?"

Violet nodded. "She don't look too tough, Davey," a guy in all leather said, nodding in Violet's direction.

"I dunno, Cougar. Jay says she said she'd tear him limb from limb. You say that to my bro, girlie?"

Violet straightened, looking directly into Davey's eyes. "I told the punk who was picking on a child half his age to go home where he should have been anyway instead of committing petty theft."

"Oooh," Davey said, laughing with the others in the group. "We got ourselves an intellectual, boys." He turned cold eyes back to Violet. "I don't let anyone talk to my family like that, girlie. Purple Dragons take care of their own."

"And I take care of mine," she replied, feeling her anger and fear beginning to ebb. The momentum was building, the explosion was imminent and all logic on how to alter the outcome had fled.

"So you know what we gotta do, right?" Davey asked, taking a few steps towards Violet. She shoved Joey behind her, still clutching his hand. "We teach you and your little brother here a lesson and we call it square." He pulled a club like weapon from behind him, laying it on her shoulder as he tilted his head to the side to examine her more closely. "Or…I suppose you could do me and my boys each a favor instead." He added weight to the club and his smile became a leer.

Violet's resolve broke as she shoved the club off her shoulder with a fierceness her opponent had not been expecting. "Or how about you and your boys scat like the rats you are and I don't call the cops?"

The look in Davey's eyes said that was not the response he had wanted.

Out of the four turtles, Donatello disliked their patrols the least. Typically because it was always right when he had gotten good and cemented into a project when his brothers decided it was time to go topside. Still, he did enjoy the stealth practice and getting to gaze at the stars. What he did not enjoy was Raphael and Leonardo constantly bickering about tactics or listening to Michelangelo talk about superhero strategies. It wasn't as if any of it mattered anyway. The people they did save never seemed to realize just how lucky they were and when they caught a glance of their rescuers they tended to run off screaming instead of offering a thank you.

Just one thank you - that's it. It would be so nice. In fact, now that he thought about it the only people who had ever said thank you tended to be the friends they had made over the years. And considering how long that list was…well, that said a lot to Donatello about the people they were protecting.

He shook his head, knowing that his desires were strictly selfish and possibly a statement about his insecurity with the humans who lived above them. Other than Casey and April, Donnie didn't have a lot of use for humans. Sure, they had created amazing inventions over the years and contributed quite a bit to the world but they also seemed to want to destroy everything wonderful and positive as well. Donnie shook his head. It just didn't make sense to him. He believed in creation, not destruction.

And speaking of destruction…

Raphael had stopped dead in his tracks, body tight and alert for a noise that had caught his attention. Leonardo closed his eyes for a moment, focusing in on the sound before taking off in the direction of an alley fight. All four brothers crouched down on to look at the fight taking place beneath them in a trash strewn alley. A little boy was cowering next to a wall, crying out for help, for them to stop. An older girl, possibly his sister had a long stick pressed over her chest, forcing her arms back as she was held for a young man to approach at his leisure. The other three stood back, waiting their turn and chuckling wickedly.

The girl grabbed the stick and pushed against the ground and her captor, using the momentum to kick her coming attacker back with both legs. He staggered back while she went toppling over with the man who held her, cursing as he went. "Looks like another damsel in distress," Mike said, perking up. He loved his damsels in distress. He kept hoping one wouldn't scream and run when she saw him. Donnie knew better. While his little brother was hoping for a whirlwind romance Don knew the probability was too low to hold out hope. It was a nice dream, though. That's why he stayed quiet; let Mike have his dreams, he could dream big enough for the four of them.

Raph broke into Don's thoughts for the second time that night. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go kick some punk butt so Mike can get the girl." He flashed a white smile at his little brother before diving down into the alley beneath them and into the ongoing battle. Leo smiled, enjoying his brother's enthusiasm (although he'd never admit it) and followed, Mike nudging Donnie once before joining them. Don sighed, shaking his head. It looked like it would be another thankless night.