Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles.

A/N: This is a sequel to "The Monster's Sister", a request by DaLadyofSouls. And although this is in the 87 universe, it's set in 1997.

Here is a quick synopsis of that story: Samantha is Rocksteady's younger sister, whom he hasn't seen in ten years. We get to learn about his past through Sams' eyes. After an attempted assault on Sams and Leo's "rescue", they begin a relationship. But Rocksteady isn't too happy about this when he finds out. In the end a compromise is came to, where Rocksteady -Joey- is returned to being human.

Now on with the story!

Don rolled over, stretching as he woke. His gaze wandered his alcove for a moment. A project laid half-finished on his desk. Beside it, several books lay open with note pads and pencils. He gave the scene a small sigh. Lately it felt like he didn't have much desire to finish things. They'd all been a bit off lately, he supposed, and he knew the reason why. His gaze shifted across the bedroom area to where Leo's alcove was. He could see his brother's shoulder over the edge of the covers and one green arm wrapped around a smaller bundle beside him. That smaller bundle was the reason for their family's recent feelings of imbalance.

Samantha represented different things to each of them. To Michelangelo she was a sister, who enjoyed playing games and laughing at his jokes. To Raphael she was a reminder that their eldest brother was - for a lack of a better term - human. That he was still vulnerable to the emotions of any other man. She was both Leonardo's greatest strength and greatest weakness. But to Donatello her presence was bitter-sweet. The way she loved his brother gave him hope that one day he might find the same and yet at the same time it reminded him of what he didn't have.

It wasn't that he was envious of his brother. He was thrilled that Sams loved him so thoroughly. She, however, was also an unfortunate reminder of their incredible isolation and individual loneliness. Sighing again, he climbed out of bed and headed for his lab in a vain attempt to distract his mind.

Samantha snuggled a little deeper into Leo's chest and his arm tightened around her. He smiled slightly. His small single bed was not really designed for two grown adults, but the couch was occupied. Not that he minded in the least. In fact, it was very much the opposite. He enjoyed every minute of her warm slender body pressed against his and the vanilla scent of her hair filling his senses. It seemed as if in the past few weeks since she and Joey had moved in, he had become very accustomed to holding her close as they slept. They seemed to fit together so naturally.

Sams for her part seemed genuinely happy to wake each morning in his arms. She also seemed to have a sixth sense about him, able to anticipate his needs. And with each passing day she became more a part of him.

He dipped his head a bit to rub his cheek across the mound of unruly curls. Her fingers caressed his arm and he shivered. With a single touch she could make his blood rush. "Mornin'." She murmured softly.

His smile grew as he dipped his head further to brush his lips across her brow. "Morning."

"You don't suppose Splinter would let you sleep in, do you?"

Leo chuckled softly at the familiar question. "Sorry, sweetheart, but you know he won't."

She let out a small sigh that held more disappointment than frustration. "One day he will. But for now," she tilted her head back to meet his gaze, "I'll just have to settle for making you want to stay here with me."

He ran a large finger down her cheek. "I already want to stay here with you." His hand moved to cup her head as he met her in warm kiss that sent waves of fire through both their bodies. He smiled again. "You know, this is my second favorite part of the day."

She blinked at him. "Second? What's your first favorite then?"

His smile grew. "Bedtime."

She smiled as well, tucking herself back under his chin with a contented sigh. "Me too."

There was an audible groan from the alcove next to them. "Will you two knock it off? You're gonna give me a cavity!" Raph groused, his voice half muffled in sleep.

Sams snickered and Leo rolled his eyes. "I think that's my cue to get up." He told her softly. Raph was still giving him a hard time, though most of it was out of sight of Sams. And Leo preferred it that way. He didn't want her thinking she was causing problems, when in reality Raph and he had always had a tumultuous relationship.

Samantha pouted a little as he climbed out of the bed. "Raphael, you're such a party pooper." She called to her boyfriend's red-banded brother. Leo smirked as he pulled the covers back up and squeezed her hand.

"Yep, that's me," Raph appeared outside Leo's alcove, "the party pooper."

"You got that right! You're all poop and no party." Mikey swatted his brother good-naturedly on the shell as he passed him. Raph grumbled under his breath as he followed his younger brother to the dojo.

Leo shook his head at his brothers and then smiled at Sams again. "See you at breakfast." She nodded and he left for their morning training session. When he was gone, she stretched and rolled over to sit up. Reaching out, she opened one of the two drawers Leo had given her in his three-drawer dresser. He had been extremely sweet and accommodating since she and her brother had moved in. Which was one of the reasons she was determined to find a new job, and find Joey one as well. It wasn't that she wanted to move out – though Joey likely did – but she wanted to contribute. She had gotten a good taste of standing on her own two feet right before she'd met Leo and Joey had returned to her life. And she had liked it. It had given her a sense of self-worth. Maybe the job had sucked, but she hadn't really minded. It had been enough to pay rent and buy food, what more could she ask for.

Pulling a pair of clothes from the dresser she sighed, wondering if Joey would try to force her to move out with him or if Leo would even allow it. She smiled a bit to herself. She highly doubted Leo would and she couldn't blame him. Every night wrapped in his strong warm arms felt like heaven. She felt safer in his embrace than she had her entire life. And now that she knew how it felt, she was not willing to give it up for anything. She gave a determined nod to herself as she headed for the bathroom to change. Joey was sprawled across the couch, still snoring. His long legs dangled off one end. She paused to give one of his large feet a kick with one of her small ones. "Wake up, Joey! Time for another day of job hunting."

He cracked open one eye, mumbled something incoherent and promptly went back to sleep. Sams rolled her eyes and made her way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, she dressed and returned to find Joey pulling on his boots. He gave her a slightly annoyed look but followed her into the kitchen, where she started to prepare breakfast.

Her cooking skills still held something to be desired, but she was learning thanks to Michelangelo and even Splinter. Leo apparently had some ability to cook as well, though his pertained mainly to things with directions. He could follow instructions on a box, but had no culinary skill beyond that. Both Donatello and Raphael seemed to have learned this basic skill as well.

She frowned to herself at the thought of Donatello. Something was obviously bothering him, but she couldn't figure out what. She'd been around the brothers enough now that she knew their moods and how they typically behaved. And something was off about Donnie. It wasn't like he was mad at her or Leo, but in a strange way it felt like he was avoiding them as much as possible. In the last week, it seemed as if he had become even more reclusive than normal.

She turned off the stove and carried the pile of pancakes, bacon and eggs to the table, where Joey sat with a newspaper opened to the want-ad section. "Any luck?" She went to fetch the plates.

"Nope. I can't pronounce half this stuff." He frowned. "Let's face it, sis, nobody's gonna want to hire someone like me, who didn't even finish school and can't read good."

Samantha sighed as she set the plates down, not certain what to say. "Read well." Donnie corrected as he and his brothers entered the room. "It's read well, not good."

Joey snorted in annoyance. "Whatever. It means the same thing."

"Still no luck?" Leo asked, slipping into a chair across from him.

"Just bad luck." Joey dropped the paper in frustration.

"Maybe you should let us help you look." Mikey smiled, trying to be helpful. He looked over the rather large section of want-ads that covered five pages. He frowned. "Uh, on second thought, maybe Donatello should help." He passed his brother the paper.

Don shook his head a bit in dismay before opening the newspaper. He scrolled through each page quickly eliminating whole categories. Finally, he stopped and pointed at a section that pertained mainly to hard labor. "There's an opening for a stocker at Jay's Grocery."

Joey didn't look at him. "Already been there. They wanted me to work the register too. Can't read good enough for that."

Don frowned and went back to the paper. "What about at Wong's Restaurant?"

"Nope, can't speak Chinese."

"Oh, here's one at a shipping company-"

"Don't have a driver's license."

Don's frown was becoming frustrated. Then he spotted an ad that looked new and perfect. "There's a spot at the docks, unloading cargo bins."

Joey finally looked at him. "Really?"

Don pulled a pen from his belt and circled the ad. "Right here." He pointed at it as he passed the paper back.

Samantha smiled as she sat beside Leo. "That's sounds fantastic!"

"How about you, Sams? Any luck with your search?" Raph asked as he sipped his orange juice.

Her smile widened just a bit. "Actually, I might have one on the hook. I'm going by today to check on it."

Leo blinked in surprise. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Because it's not a for-sure thing yet. I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up, especially not mine." She glanced at her watch. "Speaking of which, we better get going."

She stood and Leo caught her hand. "You have your com, right?" Worry filled his gaze. He hated her going topside without him, even if her brother was with her.

She smiled tolerantly, relishing his concern. "Yes, of course." She bent to peck his cheek. "We'll be back this afternoon, sooner if we both land a job." She waved at the others. "Bye guys! Wish us luck!"

"Good luck!" Leo and Don said in unison.

"Bye dudette!" Mikey called as Sams and Joey disappeared through the main entrance.

"Well, that sounded promising." Raph stuffed a morsel of pancake in his mouth and mumbled. "Maybe we can get rid of Joey soon."

Leo frowned. He knew it was hard for Rocksteady to go straight like he had promised and sometimes he slipped up, falling back into old habits. But to be honest, the guy was really trying. He wanted to show Sams that he could be a good big brother without having to resort to criminal activity. And Leo knew the key to his success was giving him a safe, positive environment. "Just cut the guy a break, Raphael. He's trying."

"Yeah, well, I wish he'd try not to eat all the food." Mikey whined. "The dude eats more than I do!"

"We all must share the burden of our new friends, Michelangelo." Splinter entered, leaning on his cane. "Besides, you could do to not eat so much."

Mikey pouted. "Aw, come on, Master. I don't eat that much."

Raph snorted. "Rocksteady used to be rhino. At least he has an excuse for wanting to eat so much. What's yours?"

"Joey." Leo reminded him sharply.

Raph glared. "His name used to be Rocksteady. I don't know why you insist we call him Joey. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is he asked us to. That name reminds him of the life he once lived. He's trying not to be that guy anymore. He wants to be better – for Sams." Leo was certain this was at least the tenth time they'd had this discussion. "And we should respect his request."

Across from him, Donnie sighed having heard this argument several times now. He rose from his seat and rinsed off his plate as Splinter began lecturing Raph on being considerate of others – also something Don had heard many times.

Leo looked up in time to see Donnie exit the kitchen. "Donatello, wait up!" He hurried after him, catching up near the door to his lab.

Don paused with a curious expression. "What's up?"

Leo frowned. "Is there anything bothering you, Donatello?"

"Huh?" Donnie blinked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you've kind of been….sort of….standoffish lately." He looked down at his hands. "Have I or Sams upset you or something?"

Don's eyes grew wide and he grasped his brother's shoulder. "No, no. You haven't done anything."

"Because if we have, I-"

Donnie shook his head. "No, I promise. Neither of you have done anything wrong."

It was Leo's turn to look confused. "Then what's the matter?"

Don sighed, dropping his hands and looking away. "It's fine, Leonardo. I'm just…going through something."

Leo's frown intensified. He grasped his brother's arm in a warm but firm hold. "You know you can tell me anything. I'm here, if you want to talk about it."

Don smiled weakly. "I will, when I figure out exactly what it is."

Leo released him and watched forlornly as his younger brother once again entered his lab, placing himself in self-appointed isolation. Leo released a heavy sigh. At least he knew now that it wasn't something he or Sams had done. And if it had been something Joey had done, Don would have immediately said so. Because although they had opened their home to Joey, that generosity did not eliminate ten years of bad blood between them. He was Sams' brother and that meant they tolerated him, even tried to help him. But in the backs of each other minds he was still Rocksteady, he still represented the Shredder in some way. At least the change in his appearance helped some. Thanks to Shredder's retro-mutagen gun, he'd been changed back to a human.

When Leo looked at him with his blonde hair and blue eyes, he couldn't help seeing Sams in his features. And maybe that was why he'd been so tolerant of their ex-enemy. That and he knew how important Joey was to Sams. So, he would continue to play the role of arbitrator, mitigating the tension between his brothers and their guest.

"Welcome aboard, Samantha. I hope you enjoy working here." The brunette with one green eye and one blue one smiled at the slightly younger woman.

Samantha's own blue eyes were bright. "Really? I'm hired."

Katherine, her new manager, laughed. "Yes, you are. Can you start on Monday?"

"Oh, I can start this afternoon if you want!" Sams' smile would have lit a room.

Katherine laughed again. "That's not necessary. I've got this weekend covered. Unless you need to, I'd suggest you enjoy this time and spend it with someone special." She glanced out the window where Joey could be seen standing, waiting for his sister.

Sams followed her gaze and chuckled. "That's my brother, Joey. But I do have someone I'd like to celebrate with." She grabbed the woman's hand, giving it a warm squeeze. "Thank you so much for the opportunity. I promise you won't regret it."

The light in Katherine's eyes faded ever so slightly, but her smile remained bright. "I'll hold you to that. See you at nine on Monday."

"You got it!" Sams continued to smile as she practically bounced out of the little book store.

Joey snickered as he watched her exit the shop with a large dopey grin. "I take it, you got the job."

"Yep! One down, one to go. Now let's get you one, while we are on a roll." She wrapped an arm around one of his large biceps.

Joey felt his stomach do flipflops at the thought of getting him a job. Despite everyone's encouragement, he wasn't so sure he'd be able to get one. He was inept in so many ways. His youth and young adulthood had been ripped away from him by circumstances beyond his control for the most part. Yeah, it had been his decision to hook up with Shredder, but he'd never intended on having to spend nearly ten years in his service with nothing to show for it. He sighed inwardly, allowing his sister to pull him along through the crowded city streets and onto a subway car. It only took a few stops to reach the docks. After a bit of searching they finally found the shipping yard.

They paused to watch the high-profile container crane as it lifted a large container from a ship to the lorries that carried it away. Then they turned towards the office area, which was part of a warehouse. Joey looked around as they entered. "Never seen one of these while someone was still usin' it."

Sams elbowed him and shot him a look to quiet him. She pulled the newspaper from her back pocket, where she'd tucked it before leaving the lair. "Says here you're supposed to ask for the foreman." She lifted her head to look around. "Where do you suppose we find him?"

"I'm bettin' it's that guy." Joey jabbed a finger at a man who was yelling orders at several others.

Samantha made a face of slight amusement. "Oh. Well, I'll wait for you outside."

As she started to turn away, trepidation shot through his chest. What if they made him fill out paperwork or made him sign stuff or….or…. "But-"

She smiled, patting his shoulder. "You'll be fine. These are our kind people, remember? Just treat them like you used to Lugnut." She didn't give him any further chance to protest or get cold feet as she quickly walked back out of the warehouse.

Joey swallowed hard. He knew his sister was counting on him and he needed to prove himself. Besides he had no intention of living with those turtles forever. A guy needed his space after all. Squaring his shoulders, he marched confidently up to the man that had been shouting a moment before. "Sir, are you the foreman?"

The man turned to face him. He was a big guy with a graying mustache. "Yeah, who's askin'?"

"I saw you were lookin' for help."

The man looked him up and down. "You strong?"

"Yeah."

"Can you read?"

Joey frowned a little. "Mostly, just not big words." He admitted honestly.

The man smirked. "Son, around here you just have to know your numbers and your alphabet. We ain't rocket scientist. You got any other skills I should know about?"

Thinking quickly, Joey pointed out the large open doors at the cranes. "I've driven one of those a few times."

The man raised a fuzzy gray brow. "How many times?"

"Maybe a dozen or so."

"Be here at six tomorrow mornin'." The man started to turn away and yell at one of the workers.

Joey blinked several times. "Sir, did you say-?"

"It's Frank, kid. Frank Wilson. By the way, what's yours?"

"Joey Riggs." He squinted at the man. "Are you sayin' I'm hired?"

"Yep. Now, I got work to do. So go home, eat a good meal and get some sleep. You're gonna need it."

Joey felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest. It couldn't be this easy. Could it? He grinned broadly. "Thank you, sir- uh, Mr. Wilson. I'll be here."

The man just gave a nod before he began a new round of orders at the people scurrying around like busy ants. Joey turned and strolled back out the large doors with an awestruck expression. He'd just landed his first real job. But his expression suddenly changed as he spotted Sams leaning against the wall of the warehouse with two men crowding her. She didn't look too happy either.

A/N: I hope you like it so far. If so, don't forget to review!