Chapter 2: Grudge

A/N: So here's the next chapter in this little tale. I'm having so much fun with this and creating my own view of how things would change for everybody. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me that you're enjoying this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter, too.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot.

As promised, Leo called me and said that everyone was set to go to the farmhouse. I was stoked and told Leo that I'd be there, too. It was decided that Abby, Gia, and I would go in Gia's car while April, Casey, and the Turtles would go in the Party Wagon. As the day drew near, I was excited and couldn't wait to see everybody. I kept busy in the shop until it was time for me to close up. I had decided to take two weeks off as that would give me enough time to spend with the guys. Leo had agreed to it, so it was all set.

Gia and Abby stopped at my place to pick me up. I smiled as I came down with my suitcase packed with everything I needed. The girls smiled as they spotted me.

"Hey, Cousin, nice to see you again," Gia said.

"You just saw me a few days ago," I teased. Gia and I tried to spend time together despite our hectic schedules. I knew it was hard for Gia because of Uncle Gino's death. It was just hard for her not to have her dad around even if she had given him trouble in her earlier days.

"So how does it feel to be a big shot owner, Tony?" Abby asked me.

"It feels pretty great," I answered. "How's life as a college student?"

"Pretty hectic, but I like it anyway," she replied. "So is Leo going to be there?"

"Yep, all of the guys are going to be there," I told her. It was weird to have her call Leo by his name and not Mr. Turtle as well as having her call me by my name and not Mr. Pizza Man like she had when she was younger. But time really changed people, and that was a good thing.

"Awesome!" Gia said. "Have you spoken to the others yet?"

"Nope. Leo rescued me from a robber, and that's how he came up with the idea for all of us to get together."

Gia smiled. "And let me guess, the others don't know you're coming, right?"

"Correct. It's going to be a surprise."

"Let's hope Raph takes it okay," Gia said with some trepidation in her voice.

"I doubt he will, but I don't care," I declared. And it was true. I was ready to face him and his rage head on if I had to.

We arrived at the farmhouse right behind the Turtles. Mikey was the first one out of the van, and as soon as he saw me, he let out a yell and ran, throwing his arms around me.

"Dude, it's so awesome to have you back!" he yelled. "I missed you, T. How's it goin'?"

"It's going great, Mikey," I replied. "How are things for you?"

"Pretty good. I do parties now, and sometimes it's a bit hectic, but at least I'm makin' money."

"Yeah, that's usually a good thing," I said.

Donnie noticed me and waved as did April and Casey. I waved back and saw Don put his arm around April. It looked like those two were definitely an item then. I had wondered about that. I looked at Casey to see if he was mad, but he seemed okay with it. I would have to ask about it later.

Raph saw me and glared daggers. "What's HE doin' here?" he demanded.

Leo came out of the van and gave Raph a stern look. "I invited him here," he answered.

"So you just kept this a secret?" Raph snarled. He strutted up to Leo and got in his face.

"If I didn't tell you, you wouldn't have come," Leo told him.

"This is ridiculous!" Raph cried.

Then Karai came over and put herself between the two Turtles. "Easy there, fellas, let's not get into a fight now," she said. Then she noticed me. "Oh, hey, Tony."

"Hey, Karai," I answered. "I forgot you were coming."

"Hey, I'm part of the family, too," she teased.

"Yeah, you are, but Tony's not," Raph muttered.

"Cool it, Raph," Leo chastised.

"I'm goin' for a walk," the red-clad Turtle muttered.

"Should we go after him?" asked Mikey.

"Let him be, Mike," Leo ordered. "He needs his space."

But I wasn't one to do that. This needed to be settled, and I was going to settle it once and for all. I followed Raph until he stopped and sat on a rock near the stream. I strode over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Okay, Raph, what's this whole thing about?" I asked him.

"You know what it's about, Tony," Raph told me. "You abandoned us to go work at some pizza place."

"I had no choice, Raph," I reminded him. "I was next in line to take it over. It was my duty to do that, just like it's your duty to represent your clan. I'm sorry I didn't stay in touch, but I was really busy. That's what this whole vacation is about. It's about me coming back and hanging out with you guys like we used to do. Can't you just let this go for two weeks?"

Raph glared at me. "It's not that easy, Tony," he said. "First Leo decided to leave to go to Japan with Karai. He stayed away for a year, and I thought maybe he'd never come back. Everything fell apart with him gone. I couldn't deal with it, and it's hard to think about it even now."

"Yeah, but everything's changed, Raph. Leo's back now, and didn't he tell you why he was away? He got ambushed and captured. It wasn't like he stayed away on purpose."

"I know that now, but when he came back, I just snapped. I got in a bad fight with him and almost killed him. I felt bad about it, but Leo wouldn't speak to me for a long time after that. He was still healin' from what those ninjas did to him, and the fight with me just set him back. He got out of his funk eventually, but it was hard seein' him like that. Even now, there are times where I think he relives what happened to him, and it sucks."

"Were they Foot Clan members?" I asked.

"Yeah, they were. Leo didn't tell us that, but Karai did. They captured her, too, but she got out and nursed Leo back to health before they came home. I think if you had been around, it would have been easier for all of us. Without you and without Leo, everything just fell apart."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you guys, and I wish I could change it, but I can't. However, I can try and make it up to you and be there for you now. I know it won't be enough, but I'm willing to do my best to change things. Would you be willing to forgive me as long as I make an effort to change things?"

Raph tried to look stoic, but then his face split into a smile. He grabbed me and gave me a noogie. "Yeah, I can do that, knucklehead," he teased.

"Hey, let me up!" I yelled. He did and we fist bumped. Then we both headed back to the farmhouse.

"Did you guys kiss and make up?" Casey teased.

"Shut it, Jones," Raph grumbled, punching Casey in the shoulder. Casey punched him back, and the two got into a wrestling match. I smiled and went into the house.

"Hey, Mikey, why isn't Casey jealous of Donnie anymore?" I asked.

"He met some chick named Gabby at a bar," Mikey answered. "The two are an item now, so he learned to let April go. I think it's cool that April and Donnie are together. It's what I always wanted for them."

"Yeah, same here," I said. "So, are you seeing anyone?"

"Nope. Still single and okay with that. I just haven't been able to find anyone, you know? Not since you anyway. What about you, T? Are you seeing anyone?"

"Well, I was seeing a girl named Stephanie, but she broke it off," I answered. "I really liked her, but then she said that she met another guy online and she figured it was serious, so she broke it off. It sucked."

"Man, that's rough," Mikey said. "I can see why you'd be bummed. That chick was dumb to break up with you 'cause you're an awesome dude, Tony."

"Thanks, Mikey," I said. "You're pretty cool yourself."

"Wanna play a video game?"

"Sure," I said and I took a controller. We played until it was time to eat, and then we all gathered around the table.

"I think we should have a training session tomorrow," Leo suggested.

"I might be a little rusty, Sensei," I said. "I'm a little out of practice."

Leo smiled at me. "That's okay, Tony, you'll get back into it in no time."

I saw Gia sneak a look at Raph. She'd had a crush on him when she was younger, and I could tell she still liked him. He looked at her but then looked away. What was that about? Casey asked me to talk about being the owner now, so I talked to them about my duties and what was expected of me. April talked about being a reporter and how her boss was sometimes a jerk. Casey told us about a customer who came into the auto shop drunk and demanded that Casey fix his car. Casey did so but got into a fight with the guy when the guy threw a punch at him.

"So did you win?" Raph asked him.

"Hell yeah," Casey boasted. "The guy couldn't fight worth shit."

That made everybody laugh at the idea that Casey beat a drunk guy. Then Abby talked about college and how she wanted to be a writer when she was done.

After dinner was over, we watched TV for a little bit before heading to bed. Gia was talking to Raph and then she stormed away. Curious, I followed her to see what was going on.

"What's wrong, Gia?" I asked as she entered the bedroom we'd shared when we'd first come to the farmhouse after the Kraang invasion.

"Raph found someone else!" she sobbed. "I thought maybe he still liked me, but he said that he loves this girl named Lucindra more than me."

"That sucks, Gia," I said softly. "I'm sorry he did that. Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No, it's okay," she replied. "I guess I'll just have to deal with it. But I really liked him, Tony."

I gave her a hug. "I know you did," I soothed. "You used to talk about him all of the time. But maybe things with Lucindra won't work out, and you guys can get back together."

"I doubt it," she said pessimistically. "He said the reason he forgot about me was because you and I abandoned him and he figured we weren't gonna be back in their lives, so he moved on."

"Well, we are back now, so maybe things will change."

"We'll see. But thanks for the support, Tony."

"No problem, Cousin," I said. "That's what I'm here for."

When it was time for bed, I slept on the floor while Gia and Abby shared the bed because I thought it would be weird to sleep in the same bed as them. It was different when we were younger, but I didn't want to do that now. I was happy that things were getting back to normal, though I was sad about Raph not liking Gia. I seriously thought it was going to work out with them, but sometimes things change. Still, I decided not to dwell on that and concentrated on what was to come. All that mattered was that Raph had forgiven me and now things could go back to the way it had been before everything changed.

A/N: So that's the end of another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I can't wait to bring you more, though I'm not sure when that's going to be yet. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.