I do not own the folk song Madison sings in here!

Chapter 3: Hey, Roomie!

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN I'M MOV'IN IN WITH MIKEY!" Raph thundered after Leo, who had lost rock paper scissors and had to be the one to tell him, explained that he would need to have to bunk with Mikey.

"Raph," Leo said, rubbing his temples. "We need your room for Madison and the kids to sleep in."

"I thought that they were only gonna stay fer that one night!" Raph fumed. "And I thought they were staying in yer room?"

"There is a bit more to this story than just a group of run aways," Leo said. "Besides, not only is your room the biggest out of all four of us and it just so happens that there are five of them but you also have the biggest bed. How you got a queen mattress down here is beyond me..."

"Why can't I bunk with you or Donny?"

"Because you hate getting up at 4am and Donny will keep you up because he keeps the light on all night so he can read. So shut up, get what you need from your room and take it to Mikey's. Besides, as soon as we can find a playpen or something Peter and Brian are going to be in my room so I'll be bunking with Donny anyways."

"What!" Raph cried out in frustration, "They're staying! Why the hell they are they staying! And for how long!"

"I already told you that," Leo shot. "There is more to this than just a couple of run aways and the oldest is in no shape to go anywhere. She slept most of the day after Don fixed her up and gave her some pain killers but she woke up a few hours ago. Don made her get back into bed but she just got back up and started doing stuff around the Lair when he left. She's in your room right now getting it ready for her brothers and sisters to go to bed. I think she might be pushing herself a bit but Madison is…"

"Who the hell is Madison!"

"The oldest sister! Geez, Raph! Pay attention for cryin' out loud!" Leo thundered. "The one Mikey, Donny and I brought in last night."

"Well how would I know! I never saw you bring her in!" Raph shouted back. "I only say a mound of blankets and a mass of hair this morning on the couch."

Leo groaned and shook his head, "Look if you have that big of a problem with it go and talk to Madison about it."

"You damn right I'll go talk to Madison," Raph stormed off. "Why is it that Madison suddenly makes all the decisions? Who told Madison she could take over my room! Who on god's green earth does she think she is? Oh wait I know… She's… " Raph stopped right in the middle of his sarcastic monologue rant at the doorframe to his bedroom. He stared at the young thin and pale woman leaning over his bed smoothing out a blanket. " Madison…"

Madison's head snapped up in the direction of the door frame and she stood up to her full height, which wasn't any taller than him, "You must be Raphael." She said with an uneasy smile, tucking a stray lock of honey brown hair behind her ear. "I'm Madison." She walked over and held out her hand which he instinctively shook, not speaking or taking his gaze away from of her green eyes. There was something about her eyes. He didn't know what, but something in her eyes were... "Raphael?"

Raph shook himself from his thoughts and finally spoke with a frown and clear bitterness in his voice, "So er… you and the munchkins are gonna be sleepin' in here, huh?"

"Yeah, I am really sorry about this, I hope this isn't causing you too much trouble," she said with an apologetic smile.

"Yer damn right it's causing me trouble!" Raph blurted out. "Do you have ANY idea what it is like to room with that nut job I have to call a brother! Dammit, woman! You're gonna owe me big for this!"

Madison looked taken back but slightly narrowed her eyes, "I said I was sorry this was not my idea."

"So whose idea was it?"

"Your father's," she snapped. Madison had met Master Splinter shortly after she had begun reading to Molly, and no matter what she had envisioned in her head it was nothing even remotely close to his actual appearance. She couldn't understand what it was but after talking to him for only a few moments she had never had more respect and trust for someone before in her life. However, this guy was another story. "Ya know this kinda surprises me. He and your brothers have been extremely hospitable to us; I guess that gene missed your egg."

"Shows how much you know!" Raph snapped back. "Rats don't lay eggs. We're adopted!"

Madison did her best not to start laughing hysterically but instead smirked, "Are you trying to make yourself sound stupid because you are doing a really good job."

"I'm not stupid!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Dear, you might just start to believe it," she said casually. "I think maybe you just missed that day in school when they passed back the IQ scores."

"I never went to school, if it isn't obvious why I couldn't."

"I just think it's obvious that you didn't."

"Don't get smart with me!"

"I'll try not to," she smiled, patting him on the cheek. "It's not fair to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person."

"Why you little…!"

"Ah I see you and Raph have met," Donny said, entering the room with a mat and a few extra pillows and blankets. He had actually been standing just outside the door for a few minutes listening to them argue trying so hard not to laugh because he knew Raph would kill him but he had a feeling that now was a good time to step in before Raph either made himself look like a complete idiot or Madison pushed him a little too far. He really was trying hard not to laugh. "I thought you could use these, I'm sorry we don't exactly keep cribs around but…"

"No this is great, thank you, Don," Madison smiled brilliantly at him while taking the materials from his arms. She casually brushed passed Raph "accidentally" bumping him as she did. "I don't know how you ended up having such a sour brother when you, Leo and Mikey are all so sweet." She smirked behind her hair as she began to lay out the mat and things. She saw Don grab Raph and dragged him out of the room, yelling over his shoulder that they had to go do something.

" Madison: Four. Raph: Zip," Donny laughed to himself once he had dragged Raphael away trashing in his arms.

Later…

"Of all the wise cracking, bossy, stuck up know it all's…!" Raph slammed his fist in to the punching bag. "Just who the hell does she think she is!"

Raphael had been in the dojo attacking the poor punching bag for at least an hour. He was furious that Donny had pulled him away but barely admitted to himself that it was probably a good idea. The look in her eyes had un-nerved him. What was in her eyes, he couldn't tell. They were full and yet empty, bright but darken. They laughed and sobbed at the same time. They were very intelligent eyes, but very, very frightened eyes. Not a lot of things bug him like that but man… those eyes had nearly knocked him flat on his shell.

Losing himself in his thoughts again, Raph missed the punching bag entirely with his fist but met it full force with his face as though the thing was taking revenge for being beaten so badly. Raphael stumbled back holding his nose and swearing loudly at the violently swinging bag. He stopped suddenly, hearing a noise coming from behind a stack of wooden practice katanas. Raph walked over and scowled at the giggling little girl crouched behind them.

"What are you doing down there?" he asked, sounding extremely annoyed about being laughed at by a small child. The little girl's head snapped up but she was still giggling at him. "Will ya cut that out, kid!" the more he ranted the more she giggled. It wasn't more then two minutes before he had her laughing heartily. "Stop laughing at me, damn you!"

This shut her up very quickly. She stopped, stood up and stared at him innocently. Raph almost tripped over his own feet trying to back away from her gaze. The expression in her eyes was almost painful to look into. They were worse than Madison's. She at least had strength and wit behind her pain; the child's eyes were just pain. A look of pure destroyed innocence. Raph let go of his throbbing beak and bent down on a knee onto her level, "Hey kid, I'm sorry."

She didn't say anything, just stared at him. Raph shook his head and sighed with frustration, "Look kid, I… WHOA!" Raph lost his balance, purely out of shock, when the girl had shoved him suddenly before retreating back behind the katanas. All Raph had tired to do was lay his hand on her shoulder. "What the hell is your problem, Kid!" he thundered. She didn't say anything, just stared back at him with her destroyed green eyes. "Say something for god sake!"

"She won't so you might as well save your breath."

Raph whipped his head around and saw a young teenage girl leaning up against the door frame, "Why not? She not know how or somethin'?"

"Of course she knows how," the girl half laughed. "She just won't."

"Why not?"

"Because when she was 6 our dad raped her, that's why."

Raph was suddenly felt ill, "Open mouth, insert foot," he grumbled inside his head. He looked back at the little girl crouched back behind the katana rack in her tattered pink dress. No wonder she freaked out when he had tried to touch her shoulder. How many times had she been grabbed or touched where she shouldn't have been to get her to the point where she didn't even want to talk let alone be touched at all. The little girl poked her head out from behind the katana rack and she smiled shyly. Raph couldn't help but smile back, trying to coax her out from behind there, "Alright, Kid, I'm sorry. Come on out," when she didn't he frowned. "I ain't gonna hurt ya, Kid."

"Her name is Molly, by the way," the girl said from the door frame. "I'm Kaylin."

"Raphael."

"I know," Kaylin smiled. "Mikey told us all about you. Did you really sleep with a stuffed rabbit until you were 13?"

"He told you that!" Raph thundered. "I'll kill 'im!"

"Hey, don't sweat it," Kaylin laughed, holding up her hands in defense. "Peter and I are 13 and he sleeps with a teddy bear."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but don't tell 'im I told ya that or he'll kill me," Kaylin smiled again before looking over at the little girl. "Come on, Molly, Madison says it's time for bed."

Immedietly Molly jumped up from her hiding place, ran to her sister and hid her face behind Kaylin's legs, smiling shyly at Raph.

"Say goodnight to Raphael, Molly," Kaylin said softly.

"I thought you said she doesn't talk?"

"She doesn't, but we try and encourage it every chance we get," Kaylin replied. "Say good night, honey."

Molly didn't say anything but she did smile and waved before Kaylin shooed her off, "You know, you must really be something special, she never warms up to anyone that fast."

"You call that warming up to me?"

"Consider your self lucky," she chuckled. "She kicked Mikey."

Raph let out a loud laugh and pushed himself off the ground, "She's spunky if nuthin' else. I kinda yelled at her for laughing at me and the kid knocked me over. I think I accidentally scared 'er."

"Um I think you might be wrong about something."

"What?"

"Molly wouldn't of been laughing at you," Kaylin said with a confused expression. "Because Molly doesn't laugh."

"Well she was."

"Umhm," Kaylin said gently. "Well uh don't worry about scaring her. She really does seem to like you. It's just her reflex defenses kicking in. We all have those but I guess that can only be expected when… well ya know."

"No," Raph said. "I don't know, and neither should you."

"And yet I still do," Kaylin frowned at the floor. "We all do, can't do nuthin' about it but move on and keep fighting."

"Yer sister seems to do that pretty well," Raph grumbled.

Kaylin chuckled, "Who, Maddy? Yeah she is definitely the strongest out of all of us. She's put up with the most of Dad's crap. He's beaten and raped her more times than I can remember. And she just sits there and takes it because she figures that if he uses up all his energy on her he wouldn't come after us. But he finally did start coming after us and Maddy couldn't stop him. We left after he tried to drop Brian out a window just to make her upset."

"Geez…"

"Did you know that her name means 'fighter'?"

"Really?"

"Madison Leyla: Fighter of the Night."

"Interesting," Raph chuckled, wondering why this kid felt like he needed to know this but all the while thinking how well the name to fit the hellcat. "What sorta name is 'Leyla'?"

"My mother's," said a cold voice from the door frame. "Kaylin, it's time for bed."

"But it's only 9 o'clock!" Kaylin exclaimed. "What 13 year old has to go to bed at 9 o'clock?"

"The one standing in front of me," Madison smirked. "Bed, that way, moving, now." Kaylin narrowed her eyes at the annoying phony smile spread across her sister's face. "Please."

Kaylin grumbled but obeyed, fallowing her sister out of the dojo. Raph grumbled a bit himself. He was gonna try and apologize for being such a dick earlier and he would prefer to do it away from the prying ears of Mikey and the others. Didn't need them thinking he was going soft. He would never live it down. He made his way out of the dojo about a half hour later, down the hall towards the living room. He stopped right outside his bedroom door that was cracked just enough for the murmuring voices in side to be heard.

"…how long are we gonna stay here?"

"Not long, just until I heal up a little bit."

"But why?"

"Kay, please don't start. Roll over and make room for Molly."

"I like it here, Maddy."

"Peter, we can not live here. This is not our home, it's theirs. And it's not like we're running from the mafia or anything we can live anywhere."

"Maddy, yer not gonna turn 18 for another month so if we go anywhere near CPS right now they'll split us up!"

"I would not let that happen, Kay, and you know it."

"They'll do whatever they want with us if they find us, you know that!"

"Knock it off, Kay, we are not splitting up and no one is going to make us. Féminin, remember? We're a féminin and we're gonna stay that way. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, just trust me. I'm doin' what I can here."

"We know."

There was a pause and Madison's voice suddenly sounded more chipper, "So who's got first pick tonight?"

"It's Molly's turn," a voice that Raph assumed by now was Kaylin's chuckled. "No need to ask what one she wants."

There was a chuckle from Madison and another pause. Wondering what they meant by first pick and which one Molly wanted, Raph only had to wait a few moments before Madison's song voice filled the bedroom and seeped out of the crack he was listening through. She had a beautiful crisp and clear voice and the light hearted song bounced off the walls of the room, making it seem much more cheery than it probably was…

O danse mon moin' danse, tu n'en-tends pas la danse

Danse mon moin' danse, tu n'en-tends pas la danse

Ah! Si mon moine voulait danser! ...

"French."

Raph yelped and jumped near six feet in the air when he realized Splinter was standing right next to him with a much humored expression on his face, "M...Master Splinter?"

"The song young Madison is singing," the ancient one smiled. "It is French."

"O…oh? What is she saying?"

"Oh dance my monk, dance. With me you should dance. I will give you anything if you will dance," he said. "Oh course I could be a little off in my translation. French never was one of my better languages." Splinter eyed the turtle knowingly. "Something troubles you, my son." It wasn't a question.

Raphael looked at his beloved master and father. He could never remember a time where Master Splinter had punished him for nothing he didn't deserved. Splinter had always been fair and understanding with his decisions and while he was very firm he was gentle, "I just don't get it, Sensei." He said. "I don't get why some stupid perverted son of a bitch was allowed to hurt 'em like that. The kid don't even talk for cryin' out loud! Just thinkin' 'bout it pisses me off!"

"Calm your self, my son," Splinter laid a boney hand on the reptile's broad shoulder. "We can not fathom the reasons behind the evils of a cruel man but what we can do is protect them."

"She plans to gettin' 'em outta here the second she's better. Someplace safe."

"Then we must prove to her that here is the safest place for the children and her," he said softly. "Talk to her, my son. Have patience with her, for remember she has had to fight very hard up until this moment and letting her defenses down may take time."

"We ain't gotta lot of that, Sensei."

"Then find a way to make some," the old rat's eyes gleamed with mischief. "I must retire. Good night, my son."

"Night, Sensei," Raph suddenly remembered something. "Uh, Sensei?"

"Yes, Raphael?"

"What dose 'féminin' mean?"

The old rat smiled, "Family." Than disappeared into his room.

Raphael went and threw himself on the beaten up couch. Leo and Donny had gone out on patrol and he had no frikkin' clue where Mikey was. Not that he really cared; the goof ball didn't need to see him with his shell in a twist. He grabbed the remote and TV guide. Nothing really jumped out at him so he settled for the MASH rerun marathon. It was several hours later during a set of commercials when he heard someone behind him. He turned around to see Madison standing behind him, holding a tattered book and a pen in her hands and looking very sheepish, "Can I sit down?"

"I ain't gonna stop ya."

Madison took a seat on the other side of the couch and sat there for a minute. They both shifted uncomfortably in the alone silence of the muted commercials, "Whatcha watchin'?"

"MASH."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"Tried," she said, shifting again, "Couldn't."

"Why?"

"I slept all day today, I'm not tired," Madison lied. Truth was she was exhausted but she didn't need to tell him that she was afraid to sleep because every time she closed her eyes her father's haunting face was right there sneered at her. Setting her book on the cluttered coffee table but fiddled with the pen. "Um…Raphael, look I'm sorry 'bout the…"

"Ah save it already, s'okay," Raph cut her off. "Don't need tah get all mushy and crap over it; I was actin' like a jack ass and ya didn't take it. You put me in my place."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that.

"Nah, they were some pretty good come backs now that I think on it."

"Um…thanks," Madison said, looking down. "Um look… I… you see… it's just that we've been through a lot and I just…"

"Hey," Raph said. "Ya don't have to explain it to me. Kaylin told me 'bout the shit you guys put up with."

"She did, did she?"

"Ah chill, I'm glad she told me. I don't like bein' left out of the loop. I get why ya are the way ya are so let's just forget it and move on alright? Ya can't keep fightin' if yer all distracted."

Madison arched an eyebrow, "Ok…"

"So we cool?"

Madison chuckled, "Yeah, we're cool."

"And for the record," he said. "You can call me 'Raph.'"

"Raph it is then," she smiled, picking up her book and opening it.

"What's that?"

"My mother's old journal," she said not looking up from her hand that was writing neat penmanship on the page. "Before she died she gave it to me and I've been writing in it ever since."

"Oh…" Raph said trying to find a way to change the subject. "So er… I hear ya got a great right hook..."