Any references to TMNT or anything from popular media and culture is NOT MINE. I only own my OC's. Any references to "TMNT Out of the Shadows" DO NOT BELONG TO ME. Only my additions that I came up with myself belong to me. Anything from the films or other series ARE NOT MINE, only my OC's and my ideas that I have added onto the story FOR FUN.
Thank you.

Chapter #48

*Sunday February 14th 2016, Jay's new apartment*

Months had passed and so much had changed in such a short amount of time. Sam was now living with Kris as they shared her apartment together. She still lived in her room while Kris now took over Jay's old room. Because of this, the turtles had become a bit closer to Kris, although for his safety they still did not want him visiting the lair. They had all come to trust Kris and believed that he would be a good match for Sam and at this point were just waiting for the news that the two were officially dating.

They wondered if today would finally be the day since tonight there would be tons of moments of cuteness since Brenda and Jay were bringing home their baby and their adopted daughter. Only immediate family knew that Brenda was already pregnant by a couples of months during their wedding. Some would say the two were insane for having children so soon, but with the crazy life the two had lived already, they just wanted to continue moving forward before it was too late. Their dark pasts also made them realize that there were many children in this world who were raised in unfortunate circumstances and they wanted to help in their own way, which lead them to adopt around the same time that they were having their own child. Tonight was the night that not only were they giving birth to their son, but also the day they were earning the right to adopt their 4 year old daughter. It wasn't supposed to happen all on the same day, but somehow that's how it happened. Luckily the social worker met with Jay and Brenda at the hospital where Jay signed all the final papers and was now holding his daughter after standing by his wife who had given birth to their son.
Irma was there and so was Kris. Sam on the other hand was still at her brother's apartment (which she was totally jealous of because it was so much more spacious than hers!) and was with the turtles as they finished helping baby proof the house.

"Are you sure we're allowed to be here? Is it safe to have babies be near us?" Raph asked cautiously.
Sam rolled her eyes. "For the thousandth time Raph, yes! You guys have been washing up and disinfecting everything on all of you. Jay and Brenda want you guys to be a part of their kids' lives so they've taken every precaution to make sure that happens" she said as she was currently putting locks on cabinet doors throughout the living room.
"Ohhhhhhh GUYS WE'RE GONNA SEE A BABY!" Mikey shouted, also for the thousandth time.
"Gates are all set" Leo announced as he walked back into the room and away from the stairs that lead up to the next level of the apartment.
"Thank you sir. And here's your reward" Sam teased as she tossed Leo a green tea flavored juice box, which he was more than happy to receive as thanks for his hard work.
"How are the monitors coming along Donnie?" Sam shouted upstairs.
"Almost done!" he called back.
"I can't wait to see his chubby little cheeks! And oh my gosh do you think he will have hair?!" Mikey gushed as he then flopped back onto the couch.
"Make sure you don't ask so many questions that Brenda loses her shit. Like let her be with her child before you go snatching him away" Sam teased as she walked over and sat next to her best friend.
"Oh I'd never do that! It's important that the baby spends quality time bonding with its mother. I'll always respect that" he said with a confident smile.
"Tch, since when do you know so much about babies?" Raph scoffed.
"Since I've been researching about them ever since we were told Brenda was going to have one. At least I'm interested and care about meeting the little guy and the young lady that will be joining us soon" Mikey said matter-of-factly as he crossed his arms.
"Of course I care to you dweeb" Raph huffed as he glared over at his brother.
"Uh, no offense big guy but your body language definitely says otherwise" Sam said gently. "What's got you so worked up?"
Raph eyed her carefully as if to test that she wasn't setting him up to mess with him.
He looked away and pouted as he muttered "I just don't wanna break em."
Sam let out a breath and smiled.
"Raph you dork, you're not gonna break the kids."
"What if I get nervous and drop em?" he asked louder and more intensely than he intended.
"We'll be right beside you Raph, we'll make sure nothing happens to the kids" Mikey reassured in an uncharacteristically mature manner.
"Will they scream?" Raph asked cautiously.
Sam shrugged. "They might, this will all be knew for both kids in their own ways. One will be seeing mutants for the first time in her life, the other will barely be able to see anything because he'll still be getting used to opening his eyes at all. We can't predict how they'll react, but it also depends on how you react to them. You just have to be gentle. Besides, I think the little girl will love you guys. I haven't had a chance to meet her yet, but Jay says she's different in the most beautiful and special ways possible."
"Guys, I saw them from the window upstairs. They're here!" Donnie called as he and Leo were now making their way into the living room.
Sam could sense how truly tense Raph was now as he continued to clench and unclench his hands. She gently lay her hand along his arm.
"Hey, everything is going to be okay. You're gonna be a great uncle and they're both gonna love you" she reassured.
Raph nodded and then looked over to see how his other brothers were handling the situation. He was shocked beyond belief at how calm and collected Leo and Donnie were as they both sat their patiently with smiles on their faces.
"How are you both so calm?!" Raph blurted out.
They both turned towards their brother and for the first time realized how stressed he was.
"Raph, you okay?" Donnie asked as he walked over and sat in the open space at his brothers left on the couch (Sam was sitting towards Raph's right side).
"I'm just afraid I'll hurt them somehow. What if they're scared of me? What if I yell and I scare them?" he began to say, his voice sounding more and more panicked as more words began spilling out.

Before anyone could even say anything else to calm him down, the door opened.
Everyone froze and sat completely still on the couch as Jay slowly and carefully entered the room. Eyes went wide as they saw the carrier in his left hand and the little black bushy bundle at the top of it.
"*Gasp* he does have hair" Mikey somehow squealed into a whisper.
Behind Jay was Kris who was wheeling his older sister into the room in a wheelchair. Behind them was Irma who was holding hands with her new granddaughter who walked in calmly with a blank expression, that is, until she saw the four giant mutants sitting on the couch and her mouth gapped open.
Kris wheeled Brenda all the way over to the couch so that each brother could stand up and gently give her a hug.
"Everything went well?" Leo asked with a smile.
Brenda groggily nodded her head. "They said I was a text book pregnancy. Everything went perfect. I'm just super tired" she stated as Jay was now massaging her shoulders.
Mikey was the next to speak.
"Okay I promise I won't take the baby away, but pleaseeeeeeeeee can I see more of him?" he whined.
The new parents laughed as Jay took the carrier (which had been held by Kris while Jay was pampering his exhausted wife) and now moved it closer towards where the boys and Sam were sitting on the couch.
Donnie was seated on the far right, then Raph, Sam, Mikey, and Leo on the far left. Everyone in the group was now leaning forward and gawking at the most adorable thing they had ever seen.
"Family, say hi to Keno. Keno, say hi to the family" Jay said with a beaming smile.

The baby had dark brown eyes and a rather large amount of black hair for a newborn. His hair was thin and a bit puffed out at the moment which only intensified how adorable he already was. He then yawned and exposed his toothless gums. The group then looked over every inch of that baby just for the simple fact that every single detail about him was just so freaking tiny!
Jay turned to get reassurance from his wife and then looked at the youngest of the brothers.
"Mikey, would you like to hold him?" Jay asked.
Mikey's head shot right up as he stared at Jay.
"You really mean it?"
"Of course" Jay said with a smile.
Mikey responded by extending his arms in front of his body as a signal that he was already prepared to hold the baby. "I've already sanitized and everything" he reassured.
Jay then carefully unhooked the straps from the carrier and picked up the almost weightless being. He taught Mikey how to cradle the baby while making sure his head was supported in the bent part of his arm.
Mikey caught on quick and as he held that little bundle of joy, it looked as if he had been a parenting pro for years.
"Wow, you're a natural" Brenda teased.
Mikey looked up at her and smiled as he continued to cradle the baby in his arms. "I've always loved kids. It amazes me that there's people in this world that hate them. I mean how can you hate someone who is so darn cute!" he said as he now held Keno so that his and the babies noses were touching.
"Do we get a turn?" Leo asked.
"Awwww already?" Mikey whined, to which Sam gently nudged him.
"Share the child! Don't worry, he's going to be here for a long time. You'll have plenty of times to hold him. I'll even let you change his diaper" Sam teased, not expecting Mikey to actually feel excited to complete such an 'honoring' task.

Jay was now gently picking up his son and was now coaching the leader in blue on how to correctly hold the baby.
While Leo was learning how to handle the infant, Irma was now walking the second newest child to the family up to the turtles.
"Guys, this is Renet. She's four years old, she loves animals, she loves to dance, and she has an awesome 'friend' (she said while using her fingers as quotes where the child couldn't see) named Rachel."
This left the group a bit more stunned. Keno was literally seeing images and colors for the first time and would grow up being taught to keep the guys secret and would grow up learning to accept the green beings for who they were, but Renet was already 4 years old. She was old enough to judge and she was still a bit young to understand the concept of keeping secrets and she was way too young to understand the dangers and consequences of her telling others about the turtle's existence.

The young girl stood there and looked at them, un-phased and calm. She was so nonchalant as if she had seen all the turtles before.
Of course, Mikey was the first one to speak to her.
"Well hi! My name is Michelangelo, but you're a lady so you can call me Mikey" he said with a beaming smile.
To his amusement, this got the girl to smile.
"My name is Leo, nice to meet you" Leo stated formally (as always).
"My name is Donnie" the nerdy turtle said with a small wave and a nervous smile on his face.
Raph just stared at the child with wide eyes, too nervous to speak. His breathing, while silent, had definitely become more rapid as his chest moved in and out in large movements.
The young girl's smile had faded.
"You don't like me" she stated bluntly.
Instantly his eyes grew wide.
"What?" he asked.
"The others were smiling, but you're not. So you must not like me."
Raph rapidly shook his head.
"No. No-no. That's not it. I uh, I just don't wanna scare you" he said nervously.
Everyone in the room was now looking towards Raph with sympathetic looks as they now saw how worried the tough turtle truly was that his appearance would scare away the young girl, and it was evident how hurt he would be if he did indeed scare this child.
Renet however just titled her head in curiosity.
"Why would I be scared of you?" she asked. She then walked up to Raph and pointed to the cut on his lip. "Is it because of this? You get into a lot of fights, don't you?" she asked in a very straightforward manner.
Mikey and Sam began to snicker. "I like her" Sam stated.
The child then looked at her (meanwhile Keno was now being brought over towards Donnie to hold). "Who are you?" Renet asked as she looked at Sam.
"I'm Sam, I'm your aunt. I'm Jay's younger sister" she said with a heartwarming smile.
Renet looked confused as she looked at Sam's hands and then looked down at her own, wondering how her new father could be related to this woman when they were not even the same color.
"Oh no I'm not the same race as you and your parents. Jay was my adopted brother, and then I technically became his adopted sister. Don't worry, in time you will learn allllllll about everyone in this crazy families past, especially because you're a major part of this families future."
This once again brought back a huge smile to the young child's face.
"So this is my family? All these people?" she asked as she looked around the room at the turtles, her aunt, her parents, her Grammy Irma, and her uncle Kris.

"Sorry we're late" April stated as she and Casey were now entering the room.
"Now everyone in your family is here. Oh! Except for Sensei, but you'll meet him eventually" Jay stated. "But yes, this is your new family" he said as she placed a hand on the girls back.
Renet then looked up at him.
"Forever?" she asked timidly.
The look in the girl's eyes literally broke the soul of everyone in that room. She was so innocent, but the fact that she needed to ask that proved how scared she truly was. Each of them wondered what she had experienced so far in her short life that already scared her so much and made her fear that she would not actually get to live with this group for the rest of her life.
Jay then wrapped his arms around the young girl and gave her a big hug.
"Forever and always. You are my daughter, and nothing will ever change that." He then backed away and nodded his head towards everyone else in the room.
"And that goes for all of these people as well. Every single one of them will love you for the rest of your life."
Renet looked around the room and what convinced her the most that this was true was that she saw everyone in that room smiling down at her, even Raphael.

*Later that night around 8p.m. Still at Jay's apartment*

"Goodnight Renet" all four of the brothers said at the same time. April and Casey also came in and said goodnight, then grammy Irma and uncle Kris, then aunt Sam and Mikey who just needed to see that little sweetheart once more before he left, and then finally mom and dad.
"So, what do you think of your family so far?" Brenda asked.
"They're awesome! This is the coolest family ever!" Renet exclaimed as she threw her hands up in joy.
"Now remember," Jay began as he rubbed his hand along the girl's leg over top her blanket, "you cannot tell ANYONE about your turtle uncles. I can't explain yet because you're still very young, but they could get hurt if you tell anyone about them. Got it?"
"Got it" Renet said with huge nods of her head.
"Alright sweetie, goodnight" Jay said as he leaned forward and kissed the girl on her forehead.
"We love you so much" Brenda said as she leaned forward and did the same thing.
The two then left the room and turned out the light, leaving their daughter alone to fall asleep in her new bedroom.

About 5 minutes later, a small light came on and a woman appeared.
She stood dressed in black, like a ninja, and she had long black hair that had been put up into a bun.
"Hey" she said with a huge smile, "how did your first day with the new family go?" the woman asked in a whisper.
"Rachel" Renet said, making sure to whisper as well, "today was awesome. I love all of them already. Are you sure they're never gonna leave me? What if I make them mad, especially the red one" Renet asked rather timidly.
Rachel shook her head. "Sweetie, look at me" she said as she brought Renet's face up so that the two female's eyes were connected. "Everyone you met today, and I mean EVERYONE you met today, is going to love you to pieces for the rest of your life. Every single one of them" she stated reassuringly.
Renet still seemed unsure. "But, what if I make them mad or something? Will they still want me then?" she asked.
"Yes, and do you want to know why?" the older woman asked with a smile.
Renet nodded her head.
"Even when you make them mad they will still want you because that's what real families do. Whether they are happy, sad, mad, hungry, whatever they feel, a true family sticks together and finds ways to work things out no matter what. And soon enough you will see how strong this family is. I promised you that you would be placed in the perfect home and I still believe that this is the most perfect family for you." The woman held her hand on the girls shoulder and gently rubbed this spot. "Trust me, you're going to love it here. You're going to love this family as much as they already love you."

Renet sighed, but continued to smile.
"I can't wait to see what my new life is going to be like" she said, gently kicking her legs underneath the blankets. "Oh" Renet said as she now looked back up at the woman curiously.
"I saw Aunt Sam and Uncle Kris today and I already love both of them. Grammy Irma is super sweet, and even Ms. April and Mr. Casey are nice and fun to. The only person I didn't meet that you told me about is Sensei Splinter, but dad says that once they find a perfect time for him to come up to the surface then I will finally meet him. I noticed a lot of the things that you told me about, like how weird Aunt Sam is with her turtle brothers, how dad is so sweet to mom, how Grammy Irma treats Ms. April as if she was her own daughter."
"Did you notice what I told you about the turtles as well?" the woman asked with a huge smile on her face.
Renet displayed a beaming smile as she nodded her head forward.
"I did. Leo was super serious so I didn't see his silly side yet. Donnie was nervous so I didn't see his sillies either. Mikey was nothing but silly" the girl said with a giggle, "but Raph was weird. You said he would be nice, but he looked kinda scary" the girl said as she brought her blanket up towards her face.
The woman shook her head. "He looks that way sometimes, but I swear on my life that he is a big softie. You'll learn in time that he's very protective and sweet and caring and that he can get very upset and emotional very easily. I can't tell you when you will see these sides of him, but I promise you will see these sides of him" she stated reassuringly.
Renet nodded. "Oh, I saw the guy you said would be Aunt Sam's husband…but they don't look like they like each other at all" Renet stated. "Are you sure that's the guy she's gonna marry? Maybe you got the names mixed up when you told me. I mean they obviously care about each other like brother and sister like you said, but she acted the same way she did with all the other turtles as well."
The older woman shook her head. "Nope, I swear on my life again that he's the one. It may not seem like it for a while, but eventually in due time, he will be the one" she said while slowly nodding her head.
The young girl shrugged. "Mkay, if you say so. I guess that means you still can't tell me about who all the other brothers are going to marry either?" the girl pouted.
The woman roughed Renet's hair with a sigh. "Sorry kiddo, I can only tell you so much at a time. If I tell you too much then it could alter the future, and trust me, you do not want that to happen."
"Will I still get to see you now that I have a new family?" she asked, a saddened expression on her face.
The older woman lightly chuckled. "Well of course sweetie. It's going to be a bit more difficult for us to meet each other, but you will definitely see much more of me for a long while. Don't worry, I won't leave you alone either" the woman said as she put her hand out for a pinky promise.
Renet happily completed the hand gesture, and the two parted ways so that Renet could peacefully drift off to sleep.

*8:05 in the nursery at Jay's new apartment*

"Awww can't I say goodnight to him one more time?" Mikey whined.
"Come on big guy, leave the baby alone so he can spend some time with his dad" Sam teased as she lightly pulled back on her best friends arm.
"Oh! That's true. *Sigh* okay. Goodnight Keno, I miss you already" Mikey said softly as he was playfully pulled downstairs and away from the nursery.
Raph, the last person who was still upstairs with Jay, shook his head as he watched his youngest brother get dragged down the stairs.
"If he ever makes your life more stressful then let me know and I'll teach him to behave" Raph stressed to the new father, "especially now that you have two kids to take care of, and from what my dad has told me, that ain't easy."
Jay chuckled. "Thanks, but don't worry. Brenda and I are both brand new to this so we'll need all the help we can get. And it's clear Mikey will be more than eager in wanting to help us take care of them. And it's clear that Renet has already taken a liking to him, towards all of you actually" he said as he gently rocked his sleeping son in his arms.
Raph pursed his lips and rubbed his hand behind his head. "I don't know, I feel like she didn't like me all that much. She does like the others though" Raph stated timidly.
Jay instantly began shaking his head,
"Nope, it was clear she became attached towards all of you, that's why she kept staring back at you. She wants you to like her and I'd bet money that she hopes she'll be able to make you like her. We're still learning about her past, but apparently she's been lonely and never had a real family, so the social worker said she's going to 'work hard to make us like her.' But that just means that even when we're mad or sad, we need to make it clear how much we care about her. That's all you need to do and she will be as attached to you as she is to everyone else. Just get to know her Raph, and she will cling to you more and more" Jay reassured with a huge smile.

Raph smiled in return. "I hope so. She does seem like a great kid. She's different though. I can't explain it, but she is. She's still silly and energetic like a 4 year old, but she can also be…very calm and realistic. Like there were times where she was having more adult conversations, you know?"
Jay nodded as he now began to walk into the nursery and lay his son down in his crib.
"Yeah, but we knew that she was different going into the adoption, and that's one of the main reasons we chose to adopt her. We felt like her already being a unique kid meant that she would fit in perfectly with a family like…ours…"
Jay's voice trailed off as he turned around and realized that Raph had stopped following him at the doorway to the nursery. He watched as Raph just looked around the room with a mix of curiosity and sadness.
"Raph?" he asked, "You okay?"
Raph now stopped and stared at Jay, realizing he had been caught in a daze that he himself had not realized he was in.
"Uh, yeah. I'm all good" he attempted to play off, but Jay knew better, and Raph could tell this by his face.
"I will literally trap you in here if you don't spill what is on your mind" the man said with his arms crossed.
Raph sighed in defeat. "Fine" he huffed, "but you can't judge me, and you have to promise that it won't change anything about how you view me. Okay?"
Jay displayed a much more serious expression. "I understand."
Raph sighed once more. "It's just…I don't know. I guess I'm a bit jealous that you get all this" he said as he waved his hand to point to the room as a whole.
"What do you mean?" Jay questioned.
"That you get to have kids, both literally having your own kid and even adopting someone who needs a home. None of us talk about it, but we would give anything to be able to do all that one day. Before we met April and Sam, the thought of even seeing a baby up close in person was something we would laugh at because we knew it would never happen, so I guess standing here with a baby in front of me…it's a lot to take in" he stated.
Jay displayed a look of guilt. "We wanted you guys to meet the kids because we wanted you in their lives, since your mine and Sam's family, so of course that means you guys will be part of theirs as well. And we thought you guys would be happy to meet them…but we never considered that. Raph I'm-"
"Don't even say it" Raph somehow said strictly while still whispering. "Do not apologize for bringing us the joy of getting to grow up around kids. Yes I personally have some issues I have to deal with, but I'd rather get to grow up with these kids and watch them grow up themselves rather than never get to be around kids at all. And if you tell anyone I told you any of this mushy stuff then Jay I swear to god-"
"I know, I know tough guy" Jay said as we waved Raph away, "I would never tell anyone. I'm your brother to now, remember? I've got your back. And I appreciate you being honest with me" he said. "If there's ever anything that makes you uncomfortable or hurt or whatever in regards to the kids, please let me know. I want them to bring you nothing but happiness, but if you feel anything but that then I want to help you out, okay?"
Raph nodded. "Okay. Thanks for looking out bro" he said as he lightly nudged the man's shoulder.
"Alright, now let's quietly head downstairs. I don't want to wake him so soon, especially since he'll have to wake up in just a few more hours for his next bottle."
The two then began to slowly exit the room as Jay shut the door slowly and silently behind them.
"Wait, so you have to feed him in the middle of the night?" Raph asked.
"Oh yeah, they need to be fed based on a certain schedule, not based on day and night meals. Hehe, welcome to parenthood my friend. You have a lot to learn."

I DID IT AGAIN! Which turtle do you think it will be now? Are your guesses still the same? Have they changed? Apparently little Renet knows something that the rest of you don't.
Hope you're enjoying the story! There are some events coming up that are going to start making it more and more clear who Sam will end up with, but there is also some more fun and adorable family moments coming up as well. I can't wait until I can finally share them all with you readers :D