Troubles That Brew Within The Family (pt. 1)

With the exception of Michelangelo, who was busy dealing with something else at the moment, everyone gathered in the T.V. area. Master Splinter sat in his armchair that was placed in front of the TVs and faced the couch; Leonardo kneeled next to it. Raphael sat on one end of the couch and Donatello sat on the other. After taking a deep breath, the purple clad turtle spilled everything. The purple clad told about the discovery of the poster, Michelangelo's obsession going from looking up the mysterious owner to searching for him, then ended with actually finding the guy and bringing him home. He finished the tale by the time Mike showed up to joined the group.

The orange clad turtle groaned as he walked exhaustedly over to a well-used beach chair that was next to the couch, on the same side Don sat, and collapsed into it. "He's finally asleep." He yawned while draping an arm over his eyes.

"That's good to hear, but now we have many things to discuss." Master Splinter said sternly. "First, let me express my disappointment in all of you for hiding such a thing from me. Further more, I…"

A loud snore interrupted the elder rat's lecture and he looks to see Mike fast asleep. He sighed deeply as he directed his attention to Don and finds him asleep too. The techno-savvy turtle's arms were folded on the armrest and his head lay upon them. Splinter looked over at Raph to see the turtle's head was tilted back, his arms crossed on his chest, and a spot of drool dribbled from the corner of his mouth. Another sigh escaped the elder rat's lips as he looks over the side of his chair at Leo. The blue clad turtle was still on his knees with his head bowed and hands on his thighs. The soft snoring that came from his mouth revealed that he was also asleep. 'I suppose I should let them sleep.' The elder rat thought while he shook his head. 'Today is going to be a very busy day for them.'

That Afternoon

As punishment for their disobedience, the four turtles were sentence to clean the lair from top to bottom. For helping Mike and not telling anyone of the young turtle's intentions, Don was to repair the televisions before cleaning the bathroom. For conning his braniac brother and bringing home a possible enemy, Mike was to clean the entire kitchen; including all cupboards, oven, microwave, and refrigerator. As for the small part they played in the secrecy of all this, Leo and Raph were to clean the dojo. When the individual jobs were done, the four were to clean the main part of the lair, their rooms, the garage above and all the vehicles it housed.

Of course that was later, right now Don and Mike's were to stand in the middle of the dojo with a pail of water in each hand as extra punishment for being the most disobedient. Already they have stood five of the fifteen minutes warranted.

Seeing as there was no reason as to why they should wait, Leo and Raph decided to clean the dojo while their brothers stood there.

"Ya and yer big mouth." The red clad turtle grumbled as he scrubbed the floor.

"It wasn't my idea to hide this whole thing from Master Splinter in the first place." Donatello replied.

"But did you have to tell him everything?" Leonardo asked.

"He wanted the whole story." Donatello answered. "It was kind of hard to tell it and leave you two out without drawing some sort of suspicion. Do you think I want to be in anymore trouble?"

"He has a point." Michelangelo commented.

"You stay outta dis." Raphael growled as he threw a wet sponge at Mike's head. The sponge ricocheted off the young turtle's head and lands in one of the buckets he held. "It's yer fault we all got in trouble in da first place."

Michelangelo looked shocked. "My fault!" He exclaimed. "How is this my fault?"

Raphael put his hands on his hips. "Master Splinter wouldn't have found out about any of dis if ya didn't go out lookin' for da guy." He replied angrily.

"Well gee, I'm so sorry that I went out looking for something from our past." Michelangelo retorted.

"Nobody asked ya ta go diggin' it up." Raphael grumbled irritably.

"And nobody asked me not to." Michelangelo scoffed.

"But why?" Leonardo asked when he stopped scrubbing the wall he was at, in order to look over at Mike.

"Why not?" Michelangelo asked back.

With an infuriated grunt, Raphael stormed over to Mike and flicked him in the forehead. "Don't answer a question with a question, ya goob."

Michelangelo gave an angry snort. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"What right do ya got ta be angry?" Raphael sneered as he gave Mike a dirty look. The orange clad turtle turned his face away with a 'humph'. "Oh fine." Raph quipped. "Have a snit fit." While folding his arms in front of him, he turned his back to Mike. "It's what ya do best. Goes right along with gettin' everyone in trouble when they end up havin' ta clean up yer messes."

Michelangelo whipped his head back so that he could glare at the back of Raph's. He opened his mouth to say something, but when nothing came out, he drops his head. For a few minutes Mike did nothing, then suddenly he gripped the handles of the pails tightly. At first his shoulders and arms start to tremble, which shook the pails he held, causing the water to ripple. Then the young turtle's whole body quivered.

Donatello had been watching this fight unfold and saw that it was taking a different toll on Mike than the usual Raph/Mike squabbles usually did. "Mikey?" The purple clad turtle whispered to the orange one. Mike's reply was to grit his teeth so fiercely, that they could be heard grinding against one another. Don took this to be a sign of anger. "It's just Raphie being his usual hotheaded self." He said calmly. "Just ignore him."

Upon hearing this, Raphael spun around to tell Don off. But when he saw Mike, he couldn't help making a crude comment. "Typical."

That seemed to be the straw that broke the turtle's shell. "This is why I never turned to you!" Michelangelo cried while throwing down one of his pails down. The pail hit the floor with such force, that side of the metal container dented. Water splashed onto the feet of the three turtles that stood there and seeped into the straw mat covering the floor.

"Mikey!" Donatello shouted while he shook water off his feet. "What…" He watched Mike pick his head up and saw that his little brother had started to cry. "Oh man…" He was about to approach the upset turtle when he saw Mike take up the other pail in both hands. This caused Don to jump back, even through he figured that he probably wasn't the target of the next attack.

"Uh oh…" Raphael gulped.

Michelangelo pulled the pail back before throwing the liquid contents at Raph. "You think I'm nothing more than a big baby!" He yelled.

The water hit the red clad turtle in the face and chest. After spiting out a mouthful of water, Raph says, "Of course I do. Especially when ya throw a tantrum like dis." He ran his hands down his face in order to get rid of the excess water.

"But you never take me serious." Michelangelo yelled. "This is exactly the reason why I didn't voice my real opinion earlier. I knew that if I did, I would have gotten shot down badly." Mike started jabbing his fore-finger into Raph's chest. "You never take my feelings into consideration when it comes to serious stuff like this. You just think that I'm some big idiot who doesn't know any better or what he's talking about, just because I don't agree with your single minded opinion."

"I do that with everyone Mikey." Raphael snorted. He grabbed the finger that was jabbing him. "And if ya don't stop pokin' me, I'll break yer finger."

"See? See!" Michelangelo barked while he pulled his finger free. "You're not even taking me serious right now." A few more tears came streaming down his face. "You're nothing more than a big jerk." He gave Raph a hard shove before running out of the dojo.

"Where do ya think yer goin'?" Raphael demanded as he chased after his brother.

Leonardo met Raph at the door and grabs him by the arm. "Let him go." He told the hotheaded turtle.

Raphael glared at Leo. "And just who's goin' ta clean up dis water mess of his?" He asked. "Not me, dat's fer sure."

"Heaven forbid." Donatello said sarcastically. "After all, why should you have to clean up after him if it bothers you so much." Raph now turned to glare at Don. He went to say something, but his purple clad turtle beat him to the punch. "You're mad, we all get that. But taking it out on Mikey isn't going to do any good. What's happen happened and there is nothing that could be done about it." He stated flatly.

"He's right." Leonardo added. "Besides, Mikey has his reasons for doing all this and it's not really our place to question them."

Raphael stared at both his brothers with a stun look on his face. "Are ya both blind or sumthin'?" He asked. "Did ya not notice da Purple Dragon tat dat rested on da guy's shoulder?"

"He hasn't been with the Purple Dragons for over a year." Donatello explained. "At least that's what his criminal record seemed to show."

"But ya can't know a person from newspaper articles and criminal records." Raphael snapped.

"Which is why we should find out more about him before jumping to a conclusion." Leonardo replied.

"We really should try and trust Mikey's judgment. After all, he does seem to have this ability to see a person for who they truly are." Donatello pointed out. "If the guy was really as bad as you're making him out to be, Raphie, than Mikey wouldn't have been so hyped up on finding him."

"I suppose so." Raphael grumbled.

Meanwhile

Outside the dojo, in the kitchen, Master Splinter could hear the fight that broke out between Mike and Raph. A deep sigh left his lips before the side of a cup of hot tea touched them. 'Whoever said that having children was a blessing, obvious never had any.' Of course he could not blame his middle son for being upset with the youngest, he really wasn't too happy that a human had been brought to their home without his permission.

A few minutes after the fighting started, it ended with Mike darting from the dojo to his room. Splinter thought it best not to say anything, but just let the youth do what was needed to make himself feel better. He was about to take another sip of tea from his cup when a pungent stench entered the room.

Actually it was a mixture of smells. Some were recognizable, like day old booze and garbage, while others were not. Unable to take the horrid aroma, the ninjitsu master covers his nose while looking for the source of the dreadful stink.

Eventually his eyes find their way to the kitchen entrance where a terrible looking Jeffery stood, seemingly trying to support the archway with his left shoulder and hands. He wore a pair of scratched up shades that must have been found in Mike's room; mostly likely tossed carelessly on the floor and kicked to the side somewhere. The clothes looked like they have never left his body and were well slept in. As for his hair, it was so messy that it could make expert beauticians sob if he were to walk into their parlors.

It took a few failed attempts, but Jeffery eventually manages to stand up somewhat straight and stagger his way into the kitchen. Unsteadily, he stumbled over to the kitchen table and flops into a chair opposite Splinter.

"Worried your nose is going to fall off or something old…man?" Jeffery groggily asked Splinter.

Due to studying the young man that sat before him, Master Splinter had briefly forgotten he was holding his nose at the moment. "(Ahem) Pardon me. I have smelled many things in my life, but I don't recall smelling anything close to what is emanating from you."

"From me?" Jeffery lifted an arm and takes a whiff from his armpit. His nose sounded so stuffed, clogged to the point that nothing, not even air, could have an easy time getting through. "I smell nothing wrong." He put his arm back down and looks over at the rat once more.

Master Splinter removed his hand. "My mistake then." He moved his cup under his nose so the aroma from his tea could block the stench the clueless Jeffery put out. "So…" Somehow, sitting across from his sons' former owner felt quite awkward. "My youngest son, Michelangelo, seems quite taken with you."

"Really." Jeffery grumbled.

Master Splinter shifted around in his seat a bit. "Well yes, actually." He gave his throat a brief clearing. "I've never known him to be as disobedient as he was last night."

"It's not like I asked him to go out looking for me or to bring me back to this dump." Jeffery huffed.

"Well there seems to be something about you that called out to Michelangelo." Master Splinter said while trying to remain calm. Jeffery's attitude was starting to set him off a bit.

"What about me could possible have called out to him?" Jeffery asked. "I'm not the person I was fifteen years ago. Can he not see what I have become?"

"Perhaps he is seeing past what you are now." Master Splinter answered.

"You mean I could do worse than I am now?" Jeffery questioned.

"Why would you think that you will only do worse and not better?" Master Splinter quizzed.

Jeffery shot up from his chair. "Look at me old rat." Having gotten slightly dizzy, the young man grabbed the table for support. "I'm not the good little boy I once was a life time ago." He flopped back down into his chair. "I'm became a bad boy who grew up to be a bad man. I'm a criminal, a thug…a Purple Dragon. What good could possible come from trash like me?"

"According to Donatello, you haven't been with the Purple Dragons for over a year." Master Splinter stated simply. "What made you stop?"

"Either they could no longer supply my habits or they could no longer put up with me anymore." Jeffery mumbled. "All I know is I had one too many fits and one day I suddenly find myself out on the streets trying to get what I need to stay 'sane'."

"Well I admit that I'm not quite really sure what it is Michelangelo see in you, but I think I do have a pretty good idea as to why he is reaching out." Master Splinter said plainly. "And as I've said before, whatever is within you has to be something worth it. Maybe a side of you that you must have forgotten or may not have even found yet." He took a quick sip of tea from his cup. "Besides, I have a feeling that if you tell us about yourself, the things before my sons came to your care and after they left it, we are sure to…."

Jeffery let out a harsh laugh. "Right." This caused Splinter to raise an eyebrow at this. "Next you'll suggest we move to the living room, if you got one, and ask me to lie down on a couch so I could tell you about my mother. Then you could tell me all about what kind of mental problems I have." He gave another harsh laugh before getting up from his seat to leave. "Thanks, but no thanks. If I wasn't willing to open myself up to the certified quacks I was sent to, what makes you think I would open up to you?"

Master Splinter jumped up from his chair and grabs the young man by the sleeve of his coat. "I am not trying to judge you." He stated simply. "I just wish understand you and I think that it's only fair that my sons try to get to know you as well."

While removing the shades, Jeffery turned around so he could take a good and hard look at the elder rat that had him by the sleeve. "Hmm…" His eyes were bloodshot red with dark bags and many wrinkles. "So you're not lookin' to get inside my head?" He asked quietly.

"No." Master Splinter answered just as quietly.

"Ok."


A/N: I would just like to blame my long delay on the penguines who stole my brain piece by piece, hence enbling me from producing my chapter on time. (...) Alright, so I got lazy and had a small case of writer's block.
I also know that I promised to go into Jeffery's background history this chapter, but as soon as I started writting it I found it looking like it going to be a two parter and so you'll have to wait till next chapter. Sorry (shrugs).
Thanks for reading and the reviews, until next time.