A/N: Yes, I know it's been more than a year. But these two just are so gooey sweet! So, I finally picked it back up! I hope you'll forgive how the terribly long wait. I promise to finish this one, before starting another fic.
A couple of reminders because it's been so long:
This is a sequel to "The Monster's Sister", a request by DaLadyofSouls. And although this is in the 87 universe, it's set in 1997.
Here is a quick synopsis of that story: Samantha is Rocksteady's younger sister, whom he hasn't seen in ten years. We get to learn about his past through Sams' eyes. After an attempted assault on Sams and Leo's "rescue", they begin a relationship. But Rocksteady isn't too happy about this when he finds out. In the end a compromise is came to, where Rocksteady -Joey- is returned to being human.
Leo and Sams stopped outside the bookstore. "So, this is the place?" A sign above the shop's door read The Muse's Books.
Samantha nodded. "Yeah. Do you want to come in and meet my boss? She's pretty nice."
Leo frowned. "That's probably not a good idea. At least, not yet."
She sighed. "I guess not. I wish people could see you the way I do."
Leo smiled, cupping her cheek. "The world would be a lot better place, if they did." He kissed her softly. "I'll be here to pick you up tonight."
She smiled at his protectiveness. "Alright."
He squeezed her hand as she stepped away. "Good luck."
The door chimed as she stepped inside. The place looked rather empty. "Hello? Katherine?" She walked around the counter and through the open doorway beyond. She found her boss at her desk working on her computer. "Katherine?" The woman finally looked up. "I just wanted to tell you I was here."
She smiled. "Thank you. Do you know how to work the register?" Sams nodded. "Good. We don't have much business this early, but it would be helpful if you could keep an eye on the front for now."
Sams smiled. "Of course, that's why I'm here."
"If you need anything or have any questions, I'll be here."
Samantha spent the day serving the few customers that came in. She wondered how the place stayed in business with so few patrons. They closed up around six. "That wasn't too bad for a first day, right?" Katherine smiled at Sams as she put the key in the door.
Sams chuckled. "No, that wasn't bad at all. Compared to my last job it was a breeze."
Katherine chuckled as well. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." Then she frowned, looking past her companion at a man approaching.
Sams turned to see what she was looking at. She'd recognize that trench coat and hat anywhere. She smiled, glancing back at her boss. "That's my boyfriend, Leo."
Katherine's eyes lit up and she grinned. "He came to pick you up. That's so sweet."
The young blonde smiled brightly. "Yeah, that's my Leo. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Goodnight, Samantha." Katherine told her before turning and heading the opposite way up the sidewalk.
Sams met Leo as he approached. He smiled down at her. "How was it?"
She hugged him. "Actually, really good."
Leo slipped his arm around her as they headed for home. "Good, I'm glad."
Joey strolled across the top of the shipping containers checking for the ID on his clipboard. This was his third day on the job and he was getting a little more comfortable with what was expected of him. Once he located his container, he'd unload it into it's designated section of the large warehouse. Mr. Wilson seemed to think he was doing pretty good, or at least he hadn't jumped all over him yet. That was a real change from working under Shredder, who had a temper tantrum every few hours it seemed.
After tomorrow I'll have three days off. He rubbed a spot on his shoulder. He'd need it to recover from this week.
As he stepped over to another set of containers near the end of the line, he heard voices coming from below him. Romano's voice carried up to him. "How much ya want?"
"Twenty from this one, but I'll need fifty from the next one." Joey frowned. For some reason that second voice sounded familiar.
"Fifty! Man, I don't know. Twenty won't be noticed but fifty might." Romano said.
"If you can't handle it, I can find someone else that can."
There was a pause. "Ya gonna pay extra. That's more chance of us gettin' caught."
"You do good on this one, sure I'll add a little extra next time."
Joey ventured to step closer, trying to be quiet. Why did the second voice send a chill up his spine? Getting down low, he moved to where he could just see over the edge of the container. He swallowed both the gasp and the growl that wanted to escape him.
"Deal. Meet ya at the spot tomorrow after that shipment comes in." Romano shook the hand of Joey's father, Raymond Riggs.
Rocksteady sat absolutely still as the two went their separate ways. Now, I definitely don't want no part in it. He couldn't help the smirk though. His father still looked like he'd gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. Most of the bruises their father had left on Sams had cleared up by now. Which Joey was very glad of. He hated seeing her like that. Standing, he started to locate his container again. He'd have to be cautious if his father was lurking around there. It wasn't that he was scared of him, more like he didn't want anything to do with him. He also worried that if they did come face to face, he may not be able to hold back without Sams nearby. Joey shrugged as he found his container and climbed down. But what Sams don't know won't hurt her either.
Later that evening when Rocksteady made it back to the lair, he found everyone watching a movie. He frowned at the group occupying the couch and the one arm chair. Samantha was curled against Leo, mostly asleep, while he ran his fingers through her soft curls. Beside them on the couch was Don and Raph was in the chair. Mikey as usual was laying on the floor with a pillow tucked under him. This left Joey with nowhere to sit. He sighed, rubbing his brow.
"Hey, dude. We left you some grub on the stove." Mikey was the first to spot him.
Joey glanced at him. "Thanks."
He started to walk off, but Leo spoke. "You're welcome to watch the movie with us. It's only been on a few minutes."
"No thanks. There's only so many b-rated monster movies I can take."
"Actually, this one's a detective movie." Donnie advised him.
He raised a blonde brow. "I might then." It wasn't like he had anything else to do. His choices were rather limited at the moment. He headed on into the kitchen to return a few minutes later with one of the chairs and his plate of food.
Raphael glanced at him, but didn't say anything. Out of the four brothers, he was the one that still gave Rocksteady trouble. The others were cordial, though still a bit standoffish. But after such a long time as enemies that was kind of expected. It would take them all time to put the past permanently behind them. For now, they would simply try to get along for Samantha's sake.
Rocksteady had a hard time following the movie, so instead he focused on his plate and left to shower. When he emerged, he found the movie had ended and everyone was moving off to bed. This meant he could go to bed as well. Leo and Sams were the only ones left as he came around to sit on the end of the couch. He looked at his little sister, who had a contented smile even in her sleep. "How'd it go?"
"She said it went well." Leo let out a small chuckle. "Actually from her description it sounded boring."
Joey couldn't help the small smile. "Boring is good."
Leo smiled as well. "You know, I think I'm going to have to agree with you on that." He slipped his arm under Sams' legs, standing up and cradling her to his chest. "Goodnight, Joey."
He nodded. "'Night."
"I don't know what happened to them, Mr. Wilson! I swear! I unloaded what was there!" The young man protested.
Mr. Wilson frowned. "Then why am I gettin' calls saying the shipment was short fifty laptops?"
"I don't know! I did what I was supposed to do! I counted the pallets when I pulled them out. There was four full ones and one half."
Mr. Wilson shook his head. "Manifest I got says there were five full pallets. So, that means somewhere between that container which was sealed and the warehouse half a pallet went missin'. And you were the one responsible for the unload."
The young man's face dropped. "Please, Frank. You know me. I'd never do nothin' like that."
Mr. Wilson shook his head again. "Sorry, kid, but you're fired. I can't have a liability like you around."
"I got a baby comin'. Can't you cut me a break this time. If it I did accidently lose some, I'll make sure it never happens again!"
Frank sighed. "I'm sorry, Scott. The higher-ups made the decision. Clean out your locker. Ya can pick up your last check next week."
Rocksteady watched the young man's head drop and him shuffle off towards the lockers. The scene left a bad taste in his mouth. Yeah, he might have grown up stealing and snatching stuff, but he'd never made an effort to make it look like somebody else's fault. He'd taken his licks when they were due. Romano was apparently covering his tracks and letting the kid take the fall for it. He struggled for a moment on what to do. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't a snitch either.
He approached the foreman. As he did Fitch locked eyes with him. "Uh, Mr. Wilson?" The older man turned towards him. "I saw Scott bring in that load yesterday. There was only four and a half."
The older man sighed. "I appreciate you sayin' that, kid. But just 'cause you saw him bring in four and a half, don't mean he didn't take some before you saw him." He patted Joey on the shoulder and lowered his voice. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets on somewhere else."
That made Rocksteady feel only slightly better. The foreman walked away and Fitch smirked. Joey clenched his fist, wondering if he could still keep his job if he knocked that smug look off the guy's face. This do-gooder stuff is hard! He gave Fitch a dirty look and walked off.
Later that evening when Joey left headed for his temporary home, a large figure stepped out from behind one of the containers. Rocksteady had never been a push-over even in human form, so when the guy charged him, he was ready. He ducked the first blow and landed one to the guy's midsection. There was a grunt as the attacker stumbled back. Joey swung a meaty fist at the man's head, which to his surprise was caught. Then the man threw a fist at him. Not to be outdone, Rocksteady caught his attacker's fist as well. Now both standing still and very close, they both froze.
"Joseph?"
Rocksteady glared at his father in the darkness. "Yeah."
Raymond's mouth hung open. "How did this happen? The last time I saw ya, you were a…whatever you were."
"I was a rhino. And I got changed back, thanks to Sams."
Raymond smiled. "Well, that's a relief." He looked him up and down. "You're all grown up." He rubbed his ribs. "And you've got a pretty good right hook there, son."
Joey scowled and jabbed a finger at him. "You lost the right to call me that a long time ago! I ain't your son! After what you did to us, I should break your neck right here!"
Raymond put up his hands. His son was now even bigger than he was. "So, I might have roughed ya up a bit. Look at ya. It made ya stronger and tougher."
"You're right, I am stronger. But that had nothin' to do with you." Joey pushed past him as if to walk off.
"Okay, maybe you're right. Maybe it was a little too much for ya." Raymond watched as Joey stopped a few paces away.
"I ain't lookin' for no apology from you. Not that I'd accept one in any case. Not after what you did to Sams a few weeks ago."
Raymond frowned. "I shouldn't have done that. And you got all right to be mad at me 'bout it. Look, I came here tonight because one of my guys said that he thought you were gonna say somethin' 'bout his and my little arrangement. But I didn't know it was you. He didn't give me a name."
Joey glanced back over his shoulder. "Yeah, I know 'bout your little arrangement. But I ain't a snitch. I didn't say nothin'. I was just tryin' to keep that poor kid's job."
"Since ya know 'bout it, why don't ya join up? I bet with the two of us we could make three times what I get now."
Rocksteady snorted, finally turning back to look at his father. "Are you seriously askin' me to come work with ya? Man, I thought I was dumb."
Raymond frowned, but he had another card to pull. "What about Sams?" His son's eyes flared. He'd always been protective of his little sister.
"Are you threatenin' her! 'Cause if you are I'm gonna-"
"No. But ya wanna take care of her, right? Think about it. You make some runs with me and we'll be rollin' in the money. You could set her up real nice. Maybe even buy her a place in the burbs. I'm rackin' in twenty grand every other week. And if we did this together, we could be gettin' forty or fifty!"
Joey paused. If he joined up and took up where he'd left off, he could get Sams out of the city or get her into one those fancy condos. He could get her out of the sewer and away from those turtles. Plus, she'd never know he was back in the racket. He could say he was still workin'. It was very tempting. "If, and I mean if, I decided to help ya, you'd have to swear you'll never go anywhere near her ever again for the rest of your life."
Raymond gave a small nod. "Fair enough. I get it. You don't trust me around her. I can stay away, that's not a problem. Does that mean we're partners?"
Joey glared. "No. I gotta think on it. You're right when you say I don't trust ya. But it's not just around her. I don't trust ya period."
"I gotta prove myself. Is that it? Alright, ya think on it. I'll tell my guys to back off ya. But don't go tellin' nobody 'bout what ya know. Right now, you're my problem. You say somethin' and you become my bosses problem. And ya don't want that."
Joey let out another snort. "Yeah, I got it." He turned to leave, but his father spoke again.
"We'd make a great team, son." Raymond grew a wicked smile as his son walked away. He hadn't said no, which meant he might be useful after all.
Samantha frowned as she watched Joey storm through the living room and into the dojo without saying a word. Barely a minute later the punching bag was receiving a pounding. She frowned and started to get up, but Leo caught her hand. "Let me see what's wrong first?" He still didn't fully trust Rocksteady around Sams, particularly when he was angry.
Her frown intensified. "I don't know. He may not talk to you."
Leo stood. "I think he will." Raph watched his brother head for the dojo. He waited a minute and then followed. If Rocksteady tried anything, he wanted to be nearby.
In the dojo, Joey slammed one fist into the punching bag after another. His mind was a jumble of information and most of it he was having a hard time with. The worst of it being encountering his father. A part of him still wanted to rip the guy's guts out. But Sams had asked him not to, so he'd had to listen to that crap the guy was spilling out his mouth. He didn't believe ninety percent of what he said. But if he could really make some good money and get his sister to some place nice, it might be worth dealing with him.
Leo stepped through the door behind him. "What's going on?"
Joey hit the bag again. "Nothin'."
"Sure doesn't seem like nothing. Did something happen?"
Joey clenched his teeth, laying another blow into the bag. "No."
"Then that bag must have done something to you." Leo frowned when Joey didn't turn to look at him. "You're making Sams worry. Tell me what it is. Maybe we can help."
Rocksteady huffed, catching the bag. He was no strategist, even simple tasks could be hard for him at times. But Leonardo, he knew understood things far better than him. If nothing else he should tell him about their father and that he may still be in the picture. After all, he was the one out the most with his sister.
Leo had stood there waiting for several minutes and had just decided he wasn't going to get an answer when Joey turned to look at him. "Promise me ya won't tell Sams."
Leo frowned. "I don't like keeping secrets, especially not from her."
"You're gonna want to, if I tell ya." Joey waited a few moments, but the turtle didn't leave. Taking that as his answer, he continued. "I saw our dad."
Leo's eyes widened. "What!"
"I ran into 'im down at the docks." Joey snorted. "He even tried to apologize to me for beatin' on us as kids. Not that I believed 'im." He looked towards the door. "I don't want her worrin' 'bout this. As long as he leaves her alone, I don't care if he tries to mess with my head. He just better not push me too far."
Leo gave a slow nod, understanding. "I'll keep an eye out for him. I'll make sure nothing happens to her."
Joey sighed. "Yeah, I know ya will." At least that much he knew for certain. The problem was he didn't know what to do about the rest of what their father had told him.
A/N: Again, I am so super sorry for leaving this for over a year. Btw, I'm keeping the one rated T, but AO3 will be M - thanks to chapter 5. ^_^ Review, pretty pretty please!
