The four brothers piled into their room after leaving Splinter with Ms. Harris. Mikey jumped onto one of the beds with Raph, ignoring his brother's growl when the mattress flopped. "Do you think Splinter's gonna adopt us?" he asked excitedly.

"Don't get your hopes up squirt," Raph said as he fell backwards on the bed, his arms tucked under his head. "No one's gonna adopt all four of us."

"Do you think Ms. Harris is gonna split us up?" Mikey asked frightened.

"That's not going to happen Mikey," Leo tried to assure him. "We're brothers. We're sticking together no matter what happens."

"Actually," Don started, "the statistical likelihood of all four of us getting adopted together is…uh…never mind," he mumbled as Leo shot him a warning glare.

"We're not going to be split up," Leo said firmly. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"And how, oh fearless leader, are you going to do that?" Raph asked mockingly.

Leo didn't answer because for once he didn't have one. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it but he was determined to protect his brothers. For now all he could do was smile reassuringly.

Several weeks passed before the boys heard from Splinter again. They had had several families come by but most were only interested in adopting Mikey. Mikey managed to dissuade them with spoiled brat acts and temper tantrums but Leo knew that it was only a matter of time before a couple saw past that and attempted to take their youngest brother.

They had all but forgotten about Splinter until he arrived on the front steps of the orphanage one sunny July morning. The boys had just finished eating their breakfast and were leaving the dining room when Splinter walked into the foyer. "Splinter!" Mikey shouted as he ran to the older man and hugged him around his legs.

Splinter laughed as he kneeled down to hug the boy back. "Hello Mikey. It's good to see you."

Mikey pulled back and looked Splinter in the eye. "I missed you. Where were you?" he asked seriously.

Splinter smiled softly. "I'm sorry. I missed you too but I had some business to take care of before I came back." He looked over Mikey's blond hair at the older boys. "Is Ms. Harris in her office?"

"She should be," Leo answered.

"Good. I will be right back. Don't go far." He ruffled Mikey's hair before standing up and walking to the main office.

"What do you think that was all about?" Don asked.

"He's gonna adopt us!" Mikey exclaimed jumping up and down.

"I doubt it," Raph grumbled.

"You'll see Raph," Mikey said with a slight pout. "Splinter's gonna adopt us and we'll have a new father and we'll be a family again."

Raph frowned. "I already had a father," he said angrily and ran off to their room.

"Raph!" Leo called after him. He turned back to Don. "Watch Mikey," he instructed him before running after Raph."

Leo found his brother curled up on his side on one of the beds. "Oh Raph," Leo said gently as he closed the bedroom door. He didn't try to hug his brother but he did put a soft hand on his shoulder. "Raph, being adopted doesn't mean that we're replacing our parents."

"Forget it Leo," Raph mumbled into the sheets.

"If Splinter adopts all four of us, we'll be able to stay together," Leo continued, ignoring his brother. "The next couple that comes interested in Mikey might actually want to take him, and I don't think I can stop it next time."

"I don't want them to think we forgot about them," Raph whispered.

"What?"

Raph sat up and turned to face Leo. "What if we get adopted and we forget Mom and Dad?"

This time Leo couldn't help but pull Raph into his arms. Raph resisted at first but after a few seconds he relaxed in his brother's embrace. "We're not going to forget Mom and Dad Raph. They would want us to move on and be adopted." Raph nodded into his brother's chest but didn't say anything else.

In Ms. Harris's office Splinter pulled out several sheets of paper and handed them over to the older woman. Ms. Harris looked over the papers in amazement. "How did you do this? Even the adoption process for approved couples takes longer than this."

Splinter couldn't help but smirk. "I have very good friends."

"I can see that," Ms. Harris said absentmindedly. "And you're sure you want to do this? They can be a handful."

Splinter stood up resolutely. "I am, and I suggest you pay attention to your attitude towards your charges. I suspect that there will be an inspection soon." He left before Ms. Harris could get another word in. Mikey and Don were still waiting the hallway obediently, although Mikey looked like he wouldn't be able to stand still for another minute. He smiled as he kneeled down in front of the young boys. "How would you guys like to come live with me?"

Both Don and Mikey's eyes widened. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Mikey shouted. He started to spin around in the hallway singing, "We're gonna have a father! We're gonna have a father!"

Don on the other hand was a little less articulate. "But-but-aren't you single?"

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"How did they let you adopt us?"

Splinter winked at him. "I have my connections."

"Are you adopting all four of us?" Don asked. Even Mikey stopped spinning and promptly fell over. Splinter blinked in surprise. "Of course I'm adopting all four of you. Where are Raph and Leo anyway?"

Mikey grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Our room's this way."

Raph pulled away from Leo just as the bedroom door opened. "And we sleep in here," Mikey was saying. He let go of Splinter's hand and ran to Leo. "Leo, Leo, Leo! Splinter's gonna adopt us, all four of us!" He briefly looked over at Raph and stuck out his tongue. "Told ya so."

Leo smiled at his baby brother before looking up at Splinter. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

Splinter looked surprised that he would even ask that question. "Of course."

Leo stood and bowed to him. "Thank you sir. I'll help take care of my brothers. You won't have to worry about them."

Splinter sighed and got on one knee. He put his hands on Leo's shoulders forcing the young boy to look at him. "The only thing I want you to do is concentrate on school, your training, and being a kid."

He felt his heart soar as he watched Leo's blue eyes light up. "We get to continue our training?"

"Yes. I'll be training you myself."

He looked over to the bed where Raph was watching them silently. The redhead squirmed under the scrutiny. "So uh, what do we call you then?" he asked.

"You can call me whatever you want," Splinter answered. "Splinter, Sensei, whatever you feel comfortable with."

Raph looked down as he kicked his feet. "I guess it'll be nice to get outta this place," he said with a small grin as he looked back up at his family.

Splinter grinned. "Good. Pack your things. It's time to go home."

A/N: The story isn't over! As my summary says, this is a collection of stories and I have plenty more planned; this is just the beginning!