A/N- Part 2 (kind of)! For this chapter to be really poignant you need to think way back to a subtle detail in 'Home Ties' when they are exploring the burnt temple ;) This chapter is both cute and may make a few people angry (I do like Splinter as a character, honestly. I just need him to be an arse for this bit lol). Thanks so much for all the reviews guys, I have been so humbled by the responses I have been getting for this story and I really appreciate all your comments. I'm going on holiday for a couple of weeks so I wont be updating during that time but I might be able to squeeze in another update this week before I go away. But for now, enjoy this. Every piece I have written is also on my DA which is the same as my FF name, and I will be updating my profile whenever I update on here, so if you're ever on DA, hit me up! :) Happy reading xxx
6…And the Gifts We Don't Expect
The group continued chatting whilst the old rat left the room, his mind still whirling; he had known about his sons' gift to Venus, had been proud that they had thought of such a choice and had proudly watch them undertake the task of creating it. There was no denying that Venus had earned such a gift, especially given her efforts unto theirs…But as he stepped into his chamber, he found himself glad that Leatherhead was present. He thought back to a conversation they had had a couple of weeks ago when accidently meeting in the sewers, a conversation he had admittedly planned on enforcing onto the alligator, trying to plant a seed. Master Splinter had been scoping out several abandoned chambers, trying to find Venus a suitable place to live that would be far enough away from the lair to warrant her own living space, but not so far that he could be accused of trying to isolate Venus completely. He had found a small abandoned train station from the 1920's, seemingly in good shape due to the lack of chill and moisture that would indicate sins of damp. There appeared to be three smaller chambers leading off the main one, which could easily be transformed into a bedroom, a study, and a dojo, whilst the abandoned public bathroom was large enough to be knocked through to create an almost luxurious one. He was about to investigate the upper section when another presence had entered the space, taking him by surprise. He immediately relaxed when he saw Leatherhead approaching.
"Leatherhead, my friend, I did not see you there."
"Master Splinter, it is an honour to see you again," Leatherhead replied, bowing his head. He gestured around him. "I have been investigating other abandoned stations surrounding my home, seeking out a second base should my home be destroyed for whatever reason. It is also nice to investigate the history surrounding me. This is the smallest I have found so far, possibly most active in the 1920's." The alligator smiled, but his brow was raised slightly. "May I ask why you are here?"
"I am on a similar mission, although for a more practical purpose. I take it this is not that far from your home?"
"But half a mile, although it is nearly 3 from yours. You cannot be seeking to move your lair again?"
"No, no. It is a lot simpler than that," Master Splinter replied, his planned conversation forming in his head. "Venus has decided that she would like her own space. I think living with my four sons has finally worn her down," he added with a smile, thankfully earning one in return.
"I can understand that, no offence," the alligator added nervously. "But I understand Miss Venus is currently living with Miss O'Neil?"
"Yes," Splinter continued, racking his brain. "That was a…trial period, in case Venus wanted to return to the lair. As such, she has decided that she would like her own space, and Miss O'Neil's apartment is a little small for the two of them."
"Oh, well then, I would recommend this chamber given its size and still functioning utilities, although I'm sure Donatello will find some parts to fix and update. I would have thought this place was a little far from the five of you though. Would she not feel a little isolated by the distance?"
"I believe Venus wants a little distance from my sons, for a little while at least. And she won't be alone, not with you just a few minutes away." Master Splinter smiled, ever the innocent whilst he noticed the slight blush on Leatherhead's face. Perfect.
"Yes, well, I would be more than happy to pop in and check on her occasionally, but I know that she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. I wouldn't want to intrude."
"No, no, of course not. But it is always nice to have some form of companionship, is it not?"
"Of course," the alligator replied, still blushing slightly. "Venus has been most kind to me in the past, and very patient with my…condition. She seems to have a way of understanding people in ways others would not."
"Yes," Master Splinter nodded. "Her father trained her well in qigong, and that has definitely given her an open mind and seemingly an endless reserve of patience. But I guess living with my sons for so long has nearly drained that reserve dry." He chuckled, glad to see that the alligator was still blushing slightly.
"She is very kind hearted, despite the pain she has suffered, and very dedicated to her skills. I have always admired her strength."
"I agree," the rat replied, impatient now. "But here, she could be even more dedicated; she would have the space to train more freely. And do you not ever get lonely, down here all alone, my friend?"
For the first time during their conversation, Leatherhead had frowned, pausing before speaking. Master Splinter's heart jumped, afraid that he had gone too far.
"Sometimes. It is a lonely existence, being the only one of your kind. This is why your sons and Venus are lucky; they have each other."
Master Splinter let out a light chuckle. "Not in the way you are suggesting, my friend."
"Perhaps not. Although I always thought Miss Venus and Leonardo worked well together; they seem to balance each other out, whilst matching each other's dedication to their training, in order to protect your little family." He didn't see Master Splinter's hands twitch slightly against his cane. "Maybe I am being foolish; it is not a topic I have had much experience with. But all five of them are still young, and I believe we should all be allowed to follow our heart until we discover when we need to lose the trail and pick up another. And I know Miss Venus loves all four of them dearly, as well as you, of course. You are her family"
"Yes…She is very fond of you though," the rat added, suddenly seeing the alligator look quizzical. "All of us are. We are very proud to call you our friend."
"Thank you, Master Splinter. You have all been most kind to me these past years. Your sons are courageous and kind boys-"
"Not boys any more. They'll be 21 in a couple of weeks, Venus too. Adults."
"Young men then. They are a testament to you, Splinter, and will continue to make you proud."
"Thank you my friend, I am proud of them every day." He went to leave the station the way he came. "I will keep this place in mind. I am sure Venus will like it once Donatello has done a little tinkering. At least it will keep him out of trouble."
"I would be happy to help him," Leatherhead commented. "It has been a while since Donatello and I have worked on a project together."
"That is most kind Leatherhead, I am sure my son would appreciate the assistance, along with Venus, of course." He saw another slight blush. "Please feel free to visit the lair on their birthday. I know your presence would be most welcome, and Venus would be very happy to see you." He paused. "Of course, we all would."
The smile he had elicited from the alligator had given the rat hope that his plan was in motion.
Splinter cursed himself for being so selfish now that the day had come. There is nothing between them, nothing you can force. You will only hurt more people. Leatherhead is here as a friend. He is not looking for a lover, and you know it would only hurt Leonardo, and that Venus would never betray your son. This is a futile battle that you are pointlessly fighting. Enough is enough; it's time to stop being such a bitter old father, and instead welcome her into this family she became part of so many years ago. She has more than earnt it. He tried to ignore the bickering voice in his head, focusing on the gift he now picked up from behind his bookshelf. This, he hoped, would more than make up for any wrong doings Venus felt he had dealt her, and maybe quell the guilty voice that judged him every day now. He had hidden the object for years now, waiting for this day. But it wasn't right that it was he that was presenting it to her.
The chatting faded to silence as Master Splinter returned, carrying something draped in an old cloth. He handed it to Venus who took it gently, feeling the weight. It was heavy, and seemingly made of metal. He nodded for Venus to remove the cloth and she gasped as she tentatively took it off, revealing a sword. The hilt was of old silver, the metal swirled slightly with black indents to give the appearance of waves. The blade itself was steel, perfectly polished and gleaming. The sword was worn and not particularly sharp, but Venus still felt a little in awe.
"This sword belonged to your father." The statement shook Venus to the core and she stared at the rat, he returning her gaze in return. "He showed it to me a few times during our discussions, and explained how it had been passed down from Shinobi to Shinobi for many generations. He even used it during your sword training sessions, though only for form when you were very young, changing it for a newer, stronger sword when the pair of you actually began sparring. He explained that he planned to pass it onto you one day, never dreaming that he would not get the chance. When we visited your old home a few years ago, I found the sword, glinting under a pile of rubble. I am ashamed to say I took it without your permission, but because you didn't mention anything about it I figured you had forgotten about its existence and so would be surprised when I presented it to you. I struggled to decide when I believed you would be ready to receive such a gift, but the day you became an adult seemed a good option. Your father would be proud of you, my child. He would agree today was a good day to pass on this heirloom onto you."
There was silence in the lair while everyone processed Splinter's touching words. Venus stared at the rat before lowering her eyes to the sword she was clutching. A faint memory stirred in the back of her mind of her early days training with her father. She could see the sword, being gracefully swung and pointed by her father as he tried to teach her form and stature when carrying a blade, a lesson, she smiled, she was never patient enough for. Another strange emotion swept through her; she had been so used to Splinter speaking to her scathingly or ignoring her completely that she had forgotten how passionate he could be. How much he cared for his sons and seemingly for her. Perhaps he had finally forgiven her? Perhaps, at long last, he had cooled his initial anger and would let her move back home. Perhaps he would even give her and Leo his blessing… She shook her head, realising she was getting ahead of herself. But the honour he had given her by presenting this sword was extremely humbling. He knew how much it would mean to her, and the fact that he had thought about it so long ago sparked pure gratitude within Venus.
"Thank-you." She simply stated, her voice barely a whisper as her throat. The old rat smiled, genuinely, before April stepped in.
"We had some presents for you guys but it seems you opened them this morning before we arrived…" April raised a brow, causing the guys to duck their heads.
"What do you expect when you leave them here the previous night on the presents table? That we wouldn't open them?" Mikey asked, earning a light-hearted glare from April. "By the way, thanks for the personalized jelly bean jar. I shall treasure it forever."
"Oh well," April sighed. "It doesn't matter as Casey and I have another gift for you. For all of you. Casey, if you please."
April stepped back, pushing Casey forward as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"Yeah well, as you know, April and I have known you guys for a few years now and we-"
"I hope you're not going to spit some mushy spiel about how much we have grown since you met us." Raph interrupted, his arms crossed whilst smirking. Casey growled.
"No! I was just gonna say something nice like how much we've grown to care about you but you know what? Now I don't want to."
"You just did, idiot." Raph grinned, causing Casey to scowl in frustration. April pushed in front of him.
"All we were going to say is that over the years we have watched you grow up to be remarkable young adults. You have certainly made our lives a whole lot more interesting and given us experiences we never would have dreamed of." She smiled at the group sat in front of her. "And you have always looked out for us, defended us and even saved our lives whenever we needed it. And for that, we wanted to say thank-you. So…"
April reached behind her and pulled out a large book, each of the turtle's names scrawled across the front in their mask colour around the date of when they met April and today's date. They all crowded round as she placed the book on the table and opened it. In front of them was a picture of all eight of them, stood and sat smiling in the living room. The picture had been taken before Leo went on his trip to South America but April hadn't managed to get it printed in time before he left. She had felt terribly guilty and so decided to gather all the pictures she had with the turtles and Splinter and bind them in a photo album. She'd been working on the project for just over a year and a half now and had finally filled the last page a couple of weeks ago. Casey had helped out by taking lots of pictures too and contributing to the printing costs.
The group turned the next page, and the next, and the next, finding the book full of pictures of them, group shots, individuals, pairings, poses, natural shots, everything. The book documented six years of friendship between the mutants and April and Casey, with many pictures of Venus included despite only being part of the group for four years. Not all of the pictures were flattering, the group laughing at the familiar sight of Venus and April covered in pizza, along with Donny getting tangled up in the cables of his own computer which he tried to 'improve', resulting in wires being strewn across the lair floor for days until they finally caught their creator. There was Mikey standing proudly with his battle nexus trophy, Raph and Casey playing hockey together, Leo accidently sending a sword through one of the TV's during a training session, with Venus laughing in the background while Donny tried to fix it. There were some good shots of the group training together, Raph smiling at his fight with Donny, his Sais latching onto his Bo staff. The pair looked fearless and ferocious, as did their brothers during their combat. Venus laughed at the photo of her attacking the guys and absolutely hammering them to ground using her gifts. That had been the first time she had ever beaten them.
The photos brought back fond memories for the whole group; even Master Splinter seemed moved by the gift.
"But wait guys, there's more." April announced, surprising them all with individual copies of the first photo depicting the whole group, framed in their respective colour. "This means that you can have a piece of you family with you all the time. These past few years have been great guys, truly, and we are so glad of who you have become."
A warm silence filled the lair, everyone being content to simply flick through the book. Contentment had been something strange to them for a while now, their little family being incomplete for so long, only to be joined together again before being ripped apart again. But for once, all of them were here, sat admiring memories long past, and while Raph explained a certain picture to Venus which had occurred before her arrival in New York, she felt a deep sense of peace and belonging. This was her home, and she longed to be back in it.