Finally back posting chapters. Two today!

Chapter 13

Jax and Mikey took the next train home. The young Triceraton noticed Mikey was quiet as he stared out the window. He knew the Turtle wasn't enjoying the scenery and only thinking of his brothers. He wanted to reassure Mikey that everything was going to be okay, but he wasn't sure if Mikey would believe him.

As the train stopped in Jax's neighborhood, the two departed from the vehicle and made their way to Jax's home. Jax unlocked the cellar door and they descended into the basement. Once at the bottom, Jax untied Mikey from the rope.

"Are you hungry at all?" he questioned. "I can make you something."

Mikey shook his head. Jax put the rope away.

"Hey, Jax?" Mikey questioned. "Did you mean what you said back there at the hospital? About you looking after Don if he recovers?"

"I did," Jax nodded. "I can't keep him here with us, but I can try to arrange him to become our patient."

Mikey's sense of relief returned as he heard that. But then he remembered Raph's bandaged body and Leo's strange behavior.

"What do you think happened to them?"

"It's hard to say," Jax shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it even if we did know how they are being treated. You're the only one I should concern myself with."

"I want to help my brothers...," Mikey mumbled, looking down at the floor. "They're different now."

"Sometimes," Jax began as he turned away. "It's best to let others go. There is nothing that can be done to change others."

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked, looking up. Jax sighed before answering.

"I mean that change is bound to happen to yourself and others. Even if you want to, you can't change someone from who they are."

"Maybe you think so, but you don't know what it's like with me and my brothers. We could never change like that."

Jax frowned as he turned to Mikey. "I do understand what it's like to lose those closest to you. How you don't want to believe that someone could ever change into a stranger. I know about that all too well."

He rubbed his forehead in frustration. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a wooden sculpture of some kind that hung around his neck. He stared at it for a moment before handing it to Mikey. It looked as if it resembled a Triceraton solder.

"I used to make those a lot with my older brother when we were kids. It was our dream to join the military, like our father had done before us."

"What happened?"

"There was an accident," Jax began as he took a seat on a storage box. "I was too young to remember it. Our parents died and my brother and I became orphans. My older brother took it upon himself to become our provider and we made sculptures like these to earn a living. Once we were old enough, we joined the police force. My brother learned quickly and easily became a commander. But I couldn't pass my examination and had to return to college to earn a different degree. I learned about how alien creatures were treated in prison and decided to become a Counselor. But...my brother had changed. I found I couldn't trust him the same way I used to. He had learned to hate aliens, while I felt compassion and pity for them. Even now, there are times I am reminded on why we are so much different now than we were when we were kids. I want to still believe that he'll be there for me...but I doubt it."

"How can you be so sure?" Mikey asked him. "How do you know that he'll never change?"

"I've tried to reach out to him, many times. But now I wonder why I even try. There's no point in me hoping anymore."

Mikey wanted to say something more, but Jax looked so sure.

"Anyway," Jax brushed the thought away. "What about you? Did you and your brothers carry anything of value? Something that was important to all of you that brought you close?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Simply because I want to know you," Jax answered honestly. "You should cherish old memories, even if it's possible you could never relive them again."

Mikey stared at Jax for a while as if debating on if he could trust the Triceraton with his personal memories. Somehow, he knew he could.

"Back home, my brothers and me...we would go out almost every night together. Sometimes it was for training, and sometimes it was for fun. It was the only time we didn't have to worry about being spotted or misjudged by people. We felt as if we could breathe, being up there on the rooftops of New York. We came up with a lot of crazy games. But what we loved most was chasing each other from roof to roof until we got tired." A lonesome look in his eyes could be seen and he hugged his legs. "I'd do anything to go back home. But I guess that's silly, isn't it?"

Jax smiled and shook his head. "No. After all," he waved the wooden sculpture. "I'm still holding on to this. Hold on to those good memories."

His smile faded once again. "It's the only thing that can't be changed."

He turned to leave, but seemed to almost forget something and turned around again. "Oh, I thought I should tell you. Since you've stayed with me for three days now, I have a right to officially own you. I'm going to pick up your licenses tomorrow."

"Licenses?"

Jax nodded, "One for ownership, and the other allows you to work beside me. That is...if you want to work beside me?"

Mikey thought about it and how much he wanted to help his brothers. He chances of seeing his brothers again were higher if he agreed to be Jax's assistant. But the training was going to be challenging. There wasn't anything to think about. Without a doubt, he was going to help his brothers in any way possible.

"I'll do it. As long as I can see my brothers, I'll do whatever it takes."

Jax smiled, "I'll see you in the morning, then."