A/N: I know this one has felt a bit slow, but things are about to get complicated and pick up pace.


Sams frowned as she watched the last customer leave. It was nearly six and time to close, and she'd sold only four books that day. And they probably didn't add up to a hundred bucks. It might not have struck her as odd, if it had only been like that this one day. But it had been that way since she'd started working there three weeks ago. She didn't understand how the place stayed afloat with such low income. Or, how Katherine could afford help. But her boss didn't seemed concerned about it in the least.

That was something else that was rather odd. Katherine was there every day, but she rarely left the office. And sometimes she'd even tell Sams to go on home while she stayed late. Sams felt a bit uncomfortable leaving the slightly older girl there all alone late at night. That too was odd. Katherine was barely two years older than her. How had she managed to start a business on her own so young? Sams wanted to ask her boss all these questions, but she also didn't want to seem rude.

Stepping to the open office doorway, she tapped on the frame. Katherine looked up and smiled. "You can go on, Sams. I need to stay late. Could you lock the front for me?"

"Sure." Sams frowned again. "Say, do you need any help this weekend?"

Katherine chuckled. "I'd thought you'd figured out by now. The store's not open to the public on the weekends."

"Oh." Sams brow bunched and she walked forward to stand next to the desk, which was always paperless. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Katherine's smile was patient. "Of course."

"How do you keep the place open with so little business?"

Her smile never wavered. "This place isn't my primary source of income." She pointed at the computer. "I'm a contractor for the government."

"Contractor? What do you do for them?"

"Oh, a bit of this and a bit of that. I design software, do some programing and coding, and sometimes they put me on special projects with their scientist. I'm basically an extra brain with hands for them."

Samantha was confused now. "Why have the bookstore then?"

There was a sparkle in her eye. "Do you really want to know?" Sams nodded. "Then come with me." Katherine pushed back from the desk and went to a door on the other side of the room. Sams had assumed it was a closet for office supplies, but it was far from that. Katherine flipped on the lights and the younger girl gasped. There was a good sized room with a few computers and surrounded on all four walls by white boards. The boards were scrawled in formulas and numbers that made absolutely no sense to her. In one corner there was a table piled with gadgets and gizmos, Sams was certain Donatello would love to get his hands on. In another corner was a small chemistry set and microscope with a computer attached to it.

Sams felt even more confused than she had before. "I don't understand. What is this?"

"I tutor gifted, but underprivileged, children. I want to give them the opportunities I was never given. I want to give them a safe place to explore their talents to their full potentials, a place where they can be encouraged and feel like they belong. So, on the weekends I close up shop and they meet me here. I let them use whatever books they want from the store. It's kind of like their own personal library. I keep a very extensive science and engineering section just for them." Katherine sighed. "I don't have the funds to make it large scale. Not that I'm certain I could even do that on my own. But I can help those few special ones. Right now I have three students. But I have people that keep an eye out for me for more."

Samantha shook her blonde head, her mouth hanging open. "Wow, that's really incredible. And you do all this alone?"

Katherine shrugged, her smile a little sad. "I don't really have a life outside of here. No family or close friends, so I have plenty of time on my hands. And these kids really need me. Some of them come from terrible situations."

Sams turned to look at her. "Well, you have a friend in me. If you ever need help or even if you just want to talk, I'll be here for you."

Katherine hugged her. "Thank you, Sams. That means a lot to me." She stepped back and the two girls smiled at one another. She squeezed Sams' hand and looked down. She lifted her right hand. "What's this?" She didn't remember seeing it before.

"A present from Leo." Sams smiled at the simple gold ring.

Katherine raised a brow. "Oh?" She grinned, recognizing it for what it truly was – a wedding band. "I'm going to have to meet him sometime. He sounds like really nice."

Sams giggled. "Oh, he is!"

The front door chimed and both women turned towards it. "Sams?" Leo had waited outside for the past twenty minutes, but concern had finally gotten the better of him and he came in to make sure everything was alright. He let out a sigh of relief when she came through the doorway behind the counter.

She came around to meet him. "I'm sorry. Were you waiting on me?"

He smiled warmly, giving her a tight embrace. "Just for a few minutes." He looked up to see a young woman watching them. She didn't seem in the least frightened, just curious.

Samantha turned to smile at her. "Katherine, this is Leonardo. He's my….um, better half."

Glancing down at her, Leo chuckled. "Now, that's an exaggeration, if I ever heard one."

Katherine stepped around the counter with her own smile. She extended her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Leonardo. I was beginning to wonder if Sams was making up this incredible guy she kept talking about." She chuckled when he blushed. "I'm glad to see you really exist."

He gave a small chuckle of his own. "Well, she's pretty incredible too."

Kathrine nodded. "Yes, she is. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Have a good weekend."

"Goodnight, Katherine." Sams said as Leo turned them towards the door.

"It was nice to meet you too." Leo told her as he held the door open. The woman gave him a small nod as she stepped to the door and locked it behind them. He pulled Sams close as they started down the sidewalk. "That was…interesting." He was rather surprised at the woman's reaction. Usually there was screaming and running involved when people figured out what he was. But she hadn't even flinched. He glanced down at his spouse. "Did you tell her about me before now?"

"I didn't tell her you were a turtle, if that's what you mean." She smiled up at him. "I did tell her how wonderful you were though."

He chuckled again. "Well, that's up for debate, but it does look like we have a new friend."

Samantha thought back to what Katherine had said. She didn't have anyone apparently. It made Sams heart ache for her. Even in her toughest spots in life, she'd always had someone to turn to. "I think it would be wonderful for all us to be friends with her."


Joey yawned as he headed home. Before he could leave the dock though, a shadow stepped out to greet him. By now he'd begun to recognize this particular shadow. Raymond leaned against one of the containers. "Well, what do ya say? Have ya thought 'bout it?"

He sighed. "Yeah. What exactly are you wantin' me to do?"

Raymond smirked. "Boy, we ain't doin' nothin', we're just the muscle to make sure everything runs smooth. Boss tells me what he wants, I make sure Romano gets it."

"So, we're the middle man?"

Raymond tilted his head. "Yeah, 'we' would make the exchange." He straightened and gestured at the entire dock. "I got an arrangement with several of these guys up and down here, and some at costumes too. But I'm only one guy, so I can't be in more than one place at a time. When I have too many at the same time, instead of missin' out, you can work the other pickup. That's double money for us."

Joey frowned. A part of him said no, that he was doing just fine being legit. But another part of him wanted to take care of Sams. For a moment, he stood indecisive. Then he remembered the ugly mark on his sister's shoulder and the thought of that turtle touching her was incredibly irritating. She deserved better. And he was going to see to it that she got better. "When do ya need me?"

Raymond grinned. "Monday night. Romano's got some stereos comin' in. Boss wants forty of 'em. I'll be here at ten."

Rocksteady nodded. "I'm off that day. I can meet ya." Still feeling torn, he turned to head for the lair.

"Good to have you along, son."

Joey cringed on the inside. He hated this scum bag, but he needed to get Sams out of that sewer and away from those turtles as soon as possible.


The next night, Joey arrived at the lair to have Samantha practically tackle him. He chuckled as she hugged him with a big smile. "What's goin on, Cupcake?"

She grabbed his arm with a giggle. "Come here!" She pulled him around to sit on the couch. "Stay right there. I've got something for you."

Joey glanced at Leo, who was standing in the kitchen door grinning. "What she up to?"

Leo snickered and shook his head. He wasn't about to ruin this for Sams. "Just so you know though, this was completely her idea."

Sams came back around the corner with a rather large box. Well, it was large compared to her. Joey watched her as she set it on the couch beside him and then sat at the other end. He raised a brow. "Nothin's gonna jump outta this thing is it?"

She giggled. "No. Just open it!"

Unable to stop her infections smile, he obeyed. Lifting the lid, he was stunned at what was inside. He pulled out a pair of new leather work boots. "What's this for?"

She was still smiling. "To celebrate."

He was at a loss. "Celebrate what?"

She grinned. "You've held down your job for a whole month! I wanted to show you how awesome I thought that was!"

He looked down at the boots. They were really nice with steel tipped toes and thick treads. They were even the right size. They had to cost a pretty penny. He frowned. She shouldn't have spent her money on him. "Sams, you shouldn't have done this."

Her smile faded a little. "But I wanted to. I know how hard you've been trying to go straight and I just wanted to show you how proud I was of you."

Joey felt a ball of guilt begin to fester in his gut. Here she was telling him how proud she was of him for doing so well, and he'd just agreed to being a criminal again. He was breaking his promises to her all over again. Cursing under his breath, he tossed the boots back into the box before storming out of the lair.

He didn't see the absolutely crushed expression that crossed Sams' face. Anger burned in Leo's chest as he watched his wife wipe a tear from her cheek. Growling, he took off after Rocksteady. Behind him, he heard Samantha call frantically after him. For a split-second the desperation in her voice made him want to turn back. But his anger was so much greater. He sprinted down the tunnel, moving much faster than his prey. He caught him only a few blocks from the lair and slung him against the tunnel wall. He growled as he got in the other man's face. "What is your problem!"

Rocksteady scowled and shoved him away. "Get off me! Just leave me alone!"

Leo's eyes narrowed. "No! Not until you tell me why you just made her cry!"

Joey paused. "She's cryin'?"

Leo snorted. "Yeah, you just threw the gift she worked so hard to give you back in her face! For no reason!"

Joey's face dropped in sorrow. "I…I didn't… Ah!" He turned around and slammed a fist into the brick wall. "Why does everything have to be so complicated!"

"Complicated?" Leo's pulse was still racing with anger. "I don't see anything complicated about your sister giving you a present! All you had to do was say thank you!"

Joey let out a shuddering breath. "I said I'd join 'im."

Leo took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Join who?"

"My dad."

Leo frowned, taking a few steps forward. "What?"

He didn't turn to look at him. "He asked me to help him swipe some stuff from the docks. I said yes."

Leo's anger was rising again. "What? Why would you do that? We had a deal!"

"I know!" Joey finally turned to face him. "The money was too good to pass up."

Leo folded his arms, glaring. "Have you already 'helped' him?"

Joey leaned against the wall, shoulders slumped and head down. "No, I'm supposed to meet 'im Monday night."

Leo looked away. Although Rocksteady had agreed to going back to his old lifestyle, he was apparently growing a conscience. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stormed off when Sams said she was proud of him. "Well, you haven't done anything yet."

Joey frowned. "No. I guess I could just not show."

Leo shook his head. "No, you're going to show, but so are we."


A/N: I hope you're all enjoying! If you are, don't forget to review!