D isclaimer: I do not own TMNT, Or the characters. All I own is the plot and my OC Violet.

Author's notes: Yes, I know, I know. It's been 9 months but look! I'm still alive! And I have a chapter! Yes, it is not a very exciting chapter or very long, but I have more planned! Plans are in the works! Brain working overtime! Please don't hate me too much. I know I've left this for a while, it wasn't the only story I have abandoned, but I will always go back to them. Sorry again in pack!

He watched her walk back inside. "I know it was ya." He turned to look up at the roof. "Ya happy now… Mikey…"

The orange clad turtle sighed before silently dropping down next to his brother. "Look dude, I'm sorry. Please don't be angry-"

"I ain't angry Mikey. I jus' been distracted recently, I'm worried 'bout violet. Especially since…" Raph ran a hand over his face. "I didn' mean ta take it out on you guys. Ya know I never meant wha' I said before, when you got caught? Right?"

Mikey nodded. "Yeah, I understand dude. Don and Leo may find it harder to understand why you have been like you have recently, but they don't know about violet so." He shrugged. "Maybe we should tell them?"

"No." Raph shook his head. "We can't, not yet. She's not ready ta hav' ta put up with Leo yet. I get tha' ya guys hav' been worried but with everythin' tha' has happened, I don't wanna put the progress we've made back. She really struggles ta trust people an' let 'em in. Leo's attitude ta new people will make her shut everyone out again. She'll stop wantin' me ta see her if she thinks tha' our family relationship is strugglin' because of our friendship."

"You think Leo will give her a hard time?"

"Ya don't? After April and Casey? Ya saw how he acted towards her when we went ta get ya from tha' warehouse. He wont trust her because she one of Oliver's girls."

"But that's not like it was her choice." Mikey tried to protest.

"Doesn't matter, he'll think of her as a liability. Think she'll trade us in for a chance ta lessen her debt. He doesn't know her like I do, he wont even give her a chance ta prove herself."

"But he won't get a chance to know her at all if we don't tell them about her."

"I will, Mikey. Eventually. Please, don't say anything jus' yet."

"How long have you known this dudette?" He asked Raph.

He brother seemed to be debating with himself whether to tell him or not. "A lil over a year?" he finally said.

"A year! They're going to be so pissed off when they finally find out Raph! Not to mention Casey and April. How have you managed to keep this up for so long?"

Raph shrugged. "Guess we hav' been so busy lookin' into tha' mutagen and fightin' off gangs tha' they haven't really had time ta find out who she is."

Mikey noticed how tired Raph seemed to be as he lent against the alley wall. It wasn't a shock really. Between him training, going on patrol, them looking into the mutagen, watching out for Violet and visiting her, it was surprising that he had any time to actually rest. It was probably added to why he had been so moody these last few months. Now it wasn't only the mutagen they were looking into but its connection with this Richard Carn and trying to find out who it was getting sold to and how it was getting made into drugs.

Raph hadn't told them about the suspicions he had about it being Oliver Lee who was making the drugs. He was worried it would mean dragging Violet into it and with what happened last month and her being in hospital, he didn't want to risk it, not until he had a chance to talk to violet first.

Mikey thought back to the conversation he'd had with Violet a few hours before hand and the bruises that had covered her body when something in his mind clicked. "Your training her, aren't you?"

He's brothers' eyes snapped to his in surprise. "How did ya know?"

"With you always being worried about her, what Casey told us was in her medical file and the bruises I saw on her earlier, it just kind of made sense. Oliver seems like a real nasty person." He shrugged at Raph. "If I was in your position then I most likely would have done the same thing."

Raph gave his brother a small smile. "First time I met her, was in this alley. Two drunk guys tried ta assault her. She gave 'em a good run for their money even though she hadn't a clue wha' she was doin'. I stepped in when she got overpowered but they still had done a number on her. Tha third time we met, she found out who- what I was. Ya now wha' happened?" Mikey shook his head. "I ran." Raph laughed before grinning at his brother. "I ran and she followed me. I didn' want ta see tha disgusted looks tha everyone gives us, I didn' want ta hear her make those nasty remarks 'bout tha way I look or laugh at how different we are from them.I yelled at her, tried ta intimidate her, tried ta get her ta leave, but she wouldn't." He smiled as he stared at the floor in thought. "She told me tha jus' because I was different didn' mean tha' I was a monster. Tha' it is our actions that define us not our appearance. Tha' every monster she knew was human." He looked at Mikey. "she even invited me to her apartment, but I told her I had to get back ta tha' lair. I've never known anyone like her Mikey. She's never been scared of me, not once."

"She wasn't scared of me in the warehouse, or Leo either, even when he had a katana to her throat. Then again I thought if she could put up with you then she could put up with anything." Mikey grinned at him as Raph rolled his eyes at the joke.

He was surprised that his brother was willing to open up to him. Violet was obviously affecting him more than anyone realised. Not that it was bad. Mikey was glad his brother had found someone who seemed to care a lot for him. Someone who could be there for him when they couldn't. It seemed that she had a very unique outlook on life. Not that it was a shock, having to put up with Oliver and now they found out that this Richard Carn guy was the reason her mother and brother were dead. She obviously had a bad background, Casey said that all of Oliver's girls and guys did, that Oliver purposely went after vulnerable people. She'd put up with Oliver for five years and still had the guts to stand up to him every now and then, she didn't cower to others, she was a fighter. Sure, she had her limits and had tried to get out of situations in ways that were defiantly worrying, but that didn't mean she was weak, not by Mikey's or Raph's standards, far from it.

If you spend your life trying to make others happy, then when do you have time for your own happiness? Be true to yourself, you can still make people smile by being you. She had been nice to him and had tried to encourage him to believe in himself more, even though she didn't know him. Yes, Mikey could see why Raphael liked her so much. She was a unique character and had a hidden fierce side to her that make him feel sorry for whoever might cross her. If she wasn't so scared of Oliver hurting those around her, he had no doubt that she'd try to put him in his place. He also realise that Raphael had become quite attached to her which meant that if Oliver kept on hurting Violet then they would have trouble trying to stop Raph from killing him, just to protect her. His brother could only keep his temper restrained for so long before something snaps.

"Come on Mikey, we better get back before Leo bursts a blood vessel. I'm hoping tha I can convince Donnie ta look inta Richard Carn without Leo getting too suspicious."

"You want to see what connection he has to Violet?"

Raph nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm sure I can find the time to distract Leo for a sparring match." Mikey grinned up at Raph as they turned to leave.