(Don's POV)
"Remind me again why we're here?" Leo asks, glancing at his youngest brother with a frown on his face. Mikey frowns, glancing back at Leo with a complicated look on his face. It was a look that was often displayed, even more so in the last 2 months.
2 months… it has already been 2 months since Mikey had told us everything, that he had suffered all this time to protect his little sister.
"Fearless is right, why the hell are we standing here like a bunch of creeps?" Raph mutters. "Only thing we need is a white van and some candy" Raph's bright eyes roam over the playground, observing the children walking out of the school building. A middle school of Bronx to be precise.
And Mikey had insisted that we go here for some reason, he wanted to show us something. It was almost the end of August, and it was still pleasantly warm outside.
Our little brother tenses slightly all of a sudden, breath caught in his throat as he stands up straighter, gaze fully focused on the building now, or rather, the entrance.
"Over there" He whispers after a few seconds, gesturing to the entrance. We all glance at it, but the only thing we saw were a few girls walking outside, girls who couldn't be older than 12 or 13.
"What are we looking at?" I found myself asking softly, and Mikey glances at me for just a short moment.
"Not what" He mutters, glancing back at the girls again. One of the girls laughed, probably at a joke one of the other girls had told. Then, the girl waved, leaving her friends behind and walk away to the parking lot. Mikey followed her with his bright blue eyes, looking at her while she eventually met up with a couple standing there.
The parents smiled, hugging the child tightly for a short moment. I frown, tilting my head slightly. Because I knew that man, I knew that woman. Those were the parents who-
My eyes widened, and I snapped my head towards my only younger brother. "Mikey… are those..?" I stutter, and Mikey nods painfully, tears stinging in his eyes as he looks the parents hug, what must be, his younger sister.
"Is that Cassandra?" Leo whispers softly, but he didn't need Mikey's confirmation to know it was true, he had already figured it out. I look again, taking in every feature I could see from such a distance. Her curly brown hair, reaching just below her shoulder blades, just like Mikey's curls but longer.
Her bright blue eyes, just like Mikey's, and a smile that was so alike to his.
"She started school here last week, and I just… I had to see her. I couldn't not see her when she's so close." Mikey tries to explain, taking a shuddering breath.
"I understand Mikey" I whisper softly, walking up to him with soft steps. "She's your little sister, and you haven't seen her in years" That seemed to be the lasts straw. Mikey burst into tears, turning towards me. My eyes soften, and I immediately wrap my arms around him, forcing him closer to me.
Neither of us say anything, silent as Mikey sobbed against me. His whole form shook, and I could do nothing but hold him tight. Mikey's face pressed into my collarbone, so wrong and so right at the same time. I was glad Mikey trusted me enough, but I was sad that he was going through all of this.
I glance at Leo and Raph, still holding Mikey against me. They were both looking at us with a sad expression, but they made no move. Mikey was trusting me enough to hold him, but even after 8 months we had no idea what to expect exactly. Sometimes he would react well to so much attention.
Other times he wouldn't.
"Let's go home" Leo eventually whispered softly, putting a gentle hand on Mikey's shoulder. The latter startles slightly, but quickly nods, wiping away the tears still lingering in his eyes before following Leo.
Home.
TMNT
Days went by as if they were nothing, days, weeks, months.
Despite what Mikey had said, he never visited Cassandra, he never brought it up, and whenever we did, he shot us down. Despite what he said, he still didn't want to visit his little sister. Fear of hurting her, fear of ruining her entire life, and not thinking about his own gains, what he wanted.
I sigh, rubbing my forehead. Leo was with some friendsi right now, and Mikey had gone with dad to do the groceries.
"Don!" I suddenly hear Raph shout. I whirl my head around, eyes widening at the sight.
"Already?" I ask, and Raph smirks.
"Of course" Raph adds. "Now come help me" I roll my eyes, but I stand up nevertheless, walking over to Raph to help him with the Christmas tree. 15 days before Christmas. We silently worked the tree into the living room, setting it down next to the desk.
"Can't believe it's almost been a year" I mutter suddenly, taking a few steps back to look at the tree. Almost Christmas, it was almost Christmas already. It had been January when Mikey came to us, 11 months it had been, and he had already come so far in those months with us.
But he still hadn't come to visit Cassandra.
"Still no change with Cassandra?" Raph asks in a low voice, but I knew that Raph already knew that answer as well. If Mikey had suddenly changed his mind, he would've let us know, we would surely know by now.
I shake my head nevertheless, sitting down with an audible thud.
"Maybe we should just tell her family." Raph suggest softly, sitting down as well. I frown, nose scrunching up ever so slightly, lifting my head to look at my immediate older brother.
"We can't Raph, we can't betray his trust like that." I whisper, shaking my head. Raph lets out a soft sigh, rubbing his hands together anxiously.
"I know Don.. I know that" He lets his head tip back, staring at the ceiling above him. I sigh as well, a shuddering breath leaving my throat. How had we let this go on for so long? Why had we let this go on for so long? It had been four months now since Mikey had told us everything about his past.
And we had let him make excuses for 4 months now, we had let him get away with not seeing her for so long.
He had visited her school once or twice more, but he tried to leave her alone as much as possible. He wanted to keep his distance, to avoid getting attached to her, because he knew … he knew he wouldn't be able to let her go once he got to know her again.
So he never did.
TMNT
They walked, surrounded by misery, surrounded by bars separating them from the criminals. Her hand grabbed her husband's hand, squeezing it softly. The man glances at her, giving her a reassuring smile. They continued to follow the guard, stopping for a short moment when the guard did as well.
Then, the guard ordered the door to be opened, and he stepped aside to allow the couple to walk through.
They, albeit hesitantly, did so, stepping into the room as quietly as they could, a guard following them in. The room didn't necessarily smell, but it wasn't a pleasant smell either. And it wasn't just the smell, it was also the feeling the room gave them, causing a shudder to run down the woman's back.
In the middle of the room, which was illuminated by one small window, was a table. Three chairs in total surrounding the table, one on one side, the last two on the other side. There was a handrail attached to the table, and two cuffs were attached to it, keeping the person attached on the same place.
The couple walked over to the table, sitting down on the two free chairs.
"Are you…. you are our daughter's brother, aren't you?" The woman asked softly. The boy's head shot up suddenly, and realisation dawned down on him.
"You can't tell her" He whispered, but the demand was clear. The woman frowned slightly, cocking her head.
The boy had blond hair, and bright blue eyes. Blue eyes that had become so familiar to them over the past years. Blue eyes that their daughter had as well. The blond hair wasn't something they shared, but the curls were, and so were the freckles that dotted his cheeks and bridge of the nose.
Although they were barely noticeable right now on his dirty, and tear stained face.
He looked exhausted, haunted. This was their daughter's brother?
"Why can't we?" The woman asks, but the boy shook his head furiously.
"Please.. please just… you can't tell her, you can't do that to her, please" The boy pleaded, tears returning to his eyes. The man reached out for his wife, putting a gentle hand on hers.
"How about we start at the beginning?" He asks softly. Mikey's attention snaps to him, but he slowly relaxes slightly, slumping in his seat before nodding. "My name's Peter Eastman, this is my wife Zoe. We are… Cassandra is our daughter" He spoke, his voice confident yet soft.
"Adoptive daughter" The woman spoke, Zoe spoke. "We adopted her when she was found abandoned at just 7 years old. We never found out who her family was" The last part was added almost reluctantly, as if she was afraid to say the wrong thing to the boy in front of her, to scare him off, or to cause him to close up.
"I'm Mikey Feltner… and Cassandra is my little sister" The boy, Mikey, spoke softly, a tear running down his cheek, and soon followed by another.
"Why did you give her up?" The father spoke, leaning forwards slightly.
Mikey took a shuddering breath, waiting for a few seconds. "How much do you know about my family?" He asks, and Peter frowns for a moment.
"We know what your parents did" The mother, Zoe, said. Mikey glances at her, eyeing her almost warily before dropping his gaze again.
"Then you know why I did" To protect her from our parents, to protect her from the damage it would cause her.
"I don't understand" A frown appeared on Zoe's face, and she looks at her husband for an explanation, but he seemed just as confused as his wife was. "What does that mean Mikey?" She asks, glancing at him.
"They wanted me to kill her when we were going to flee, but I couldn't… I could never" Mikey mumbled, shaking his head again. "I-... I dropped her off, called to make sure she would be okay, I dropped her off so she could have a better life, you have to believe me"
"Easy Mikey" The man said, trying to calm the teenager down. Mikey nodded hastily. "Why didn't you go with her?"
Mikey was quiet for a moment. Why didn't he go with her? Why had he doomed himself for life instead of going? He closes his eyes for a second. Because they would recognise me, I didn't go so she could be free of our family, so she wouldn't know what her parents did, and have normal parents.
I didn't go because they would know who I was.
He told them everything, everything the parents wanted to know about their daughter. Answers that could've never been answered before, answered they had always been desperate to know, answers their daughter had always been desperate to know, but never could.
"I am so sorry for what happened to you Mikey" The woman spoke, voice almost inaudible through her tears. This boy had sacrificed everything so his sister could have a better life.
"Just.. just don't tell her, it would ruin her life" Mikey ignored the woman's apology.
"She would want to know" The mother tried to reason with him, but Mikey shook his head.
"It would ruin her life, please, you have to promise me you won't tell, please" They could both see how desperate the boy was, his form shaking, and tears streaming down his face. But his eyes, dull blue eyes desperate with convincing the parents in front of him.
"You deserve to have one as well" Zoe countered. A life, he deserved a life as well. He had given Cass one, and for that he deserved one himself.
"I am happy knowing she's happy, please" Mikey tried to argue, and the woman bit her lip in doubt, glancing at her husband. The latter sighs softly.
"Will this get you out of here?" He asks eventually, and Mikey frowns. "Will knowing Cassie is alive set you free? Will that be enough to get you out of prison?" He tries to clear up his confusion. A thoughtful look crosses Zoe's face, and she clearly understood where her husband was getting at.
A compromise.
"I don't know, I haven't thought about that. I just… that doesn't matter, I need to know that you won't tell her" He insisted again, and it was clear that he wasn't giving up.
"I'm not happy about it, but I know why you wouldn't want her knowing" Zoe whispered, he had just explained it after all, it would 'ruin' her life in his eyes.
"If they release you from prison because of this we won't tell her, and you can tell when you're ready." The man explained, his gaze firm.
"And if they don't?" Mikey asks sceptically, not breaking eye contact with the parents. The ones that raised his baby sister for all these years now. But not the parents he had picked to raise his baby sister.
"If they don't release you, we will find a way to get you out"
"Which includes telling my sister" Mikey concludes softly, glancing away. The mom nods, despite Mikey not being able to see it.
"If she would find out we did nothing to get you out.. she would never forgive us" Zoe spoke softly, and Mikey dared to look at her again. "And I wouldn't be able to live with myself either"
TMNT
Two weeks later
"She's home right now, or she can come he-"
"A deal is a deal Mrs. Eastman." Mikey cut her off, sending a glare her way. Zoe sighs, nodding.
"I know." She admitted, standing up and walking over to the window. The court had decided on Mikey sentence, and with the new evidence that his sister was still alive, they had no reason to keep him locked up. There was still the debate if he had any play in the murder of the other girls.
But they quickly decided that that wasn't the case, if a boy was willing to give up his life for his sister, to give her a better life, there was no way the boy could willingly go along with those murders.
And they ordered him to be released.
Not immediately though, it would take a few days, maybe a week, to finalise everything. They would have to get the right papers, and also find a suitable home for him since he didn't have any family left that could take care of him, and he wouldn't accept the help of the parents.
Not like they had any desire to take in Mikey, as much as they cared about him.
But a worker has already been assigned to Mikey's case, a good one who has matched numerous boys with long lasting homes in the past. So the parents knew that Mikey would be in good hands.
"At least accept the number, if you ever change your mind you can contact us." Mikey glances at the paper in Zoe's hand, before he reluctantly accepts it. A phone number was written on it, the phone number of his sister's parents. He folded up the paper, putting it away safely.
Not like he would ever use it.
The woman smiled sadly at his acceptance. Her eyes scanned the boy, a boy that has changed so much, yet so little, in the past 2 weeks. She frowned slightly, the most significant difference being his physical state right now.
Isolation, that's where they were right now. It sounded worse than it was, it was a private room for Mikey, until he was released.
The other prisoners didn't like that Mikey was getting out when they weren't. Isolation wasn't because he misbehaved, it was to protect him from the jealous prisoners. Zoe's eyes went back to his face, seeing the bruises on full display. His bruised knuckles as he tried to defend himself, but his actions were futile.
It was one more reason to get the boy out of that prison, he didn't belong there.
He was too kind, too caring for a prison. And Zoe was surprised he lasted that long.
"We are flying back to New Hampshire first thing tomorrow." Zoe told Mikey, who nodded blankly. "We're both glad that you're being released, you don't deserve that" She says, and Mikey nods again but doesn't say anything. Zoe sighs, looking down before taking a few steps forwards.
Mikey's muscle tense, but he doesn't move. "Contact us whenever you're ready, our daughter deserves to know her big brother." She says with a kind smile. "For now, hang in there. You're getting out very soon, and you'll be taken in by a nice family, you'll see." Despite her good intentions, Mikey can't help but scowl.
As if anyone would foster me.
TMNT
Present day, Donnie's POV
"Guys?" Mikey's voice came through the living room, voice shaky and trembling. I immediately look up at my only little brother with worried eyes. Leo was immediately up, and Raph was nowhere in sight right now.
"What's wrong Mikey?" Leo asks, walking up to Mikey. It was then that I noticed what Mikey was holding in his trembling hand, his phone. Tears were cascading down his face, and he made no move to wipe them away. Leo carefully put his hand on Mikey's free one, squeezing softly.
The trembling didn't seize, but Mikey immediately snapped his gaze towards Leo.
"Cassie" He whispered. My eyes widen a bit more, Cassie, Cassandra, his younger sister.
"What happened to her?" Leo asks, obviously worried, but Mikey shook his head. Because it wasn't sadness, it wasn't why he was crying right now, it wasn't why he was shaking. He was nervous, anxious, scared maybe. That's why he was trembling, but those tears weren't solemnly for those three emotions.
There were tears of excitement, happiness, as well.
"I called them, her parents." Mikey whispers, glancing at me for a moment before glancing at Leo again. "I asked if I could meet her"
TMNT
For real this time guys, I promise! xD