(Roughly ten years after the vanishing of Hamato Yoshi)

Leo frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea, Raph." He said.

Raphael frowned a little, with all the fierceness a ten-year-old boy who happened also to be a turtle could muster. "It's a great idea. You got a better idea for a present?"

Leo didn't. But he also knew that if Master Splinter caught them, he would be very, very angry.

"Master Splinter spends so much time getting us food." Raph argued, "He'll be so happy not to have to do it for a few days. And we'll prove to him that we can handle going above. It's the perfect gift!"

"Do you think we could find some peanut butter and jelly?" Mikey said. That was his favorite ever since Splinter had made them sandwiches for a Christmas feast five or six years ago. They rarely got it, usually only on special days.

Well, today was a special day. Today they had learned through the media they loved, was Father's Day. And what better father was there than Master Splinter?

"I have an idea where to look." Said Raph "We'll be able to find PB ." he looked pleased with himself.

Leo sighed. He knew this was a bad idea, but the thought of impressing Master Splinter was tempting. "Okay. Fine. We go up and do it QUICK" he said.

His brothers all nodded.

After lights out, the boys waited until they were sure Splinter was asleep, and then one by one they rose, packed four backpacks with what they needed, and quietly snuck out. They had not yet been assigned the weapons they would be associated with in the later years, so they went unarmed and headed quietly into the sewer corridor.

They came up near Chinatown and Raph led them down a dark alley. As they crouched at the mouth, he looked up and down the street. There was a new restaurant just opened called 24/7, and the name was true…it was always open.

Next to it was a small convenience store, with a large dumpster next to it. Raph grinned and nodded "There" he whispered "I was watching that one through the storm drain. They clean out their store once a month and throw out stuff still in packages that they can't sell. Tonight's the night, we'll get into the dumpster and we'll come home with a feast!"

Leo looked impressed which was rare from his brother "That's a really good plan" he admitted.

"I know," Raph said, a little miffed, but more happy his brother thought so.

They opened their backpacks and took out what they had brought with them. Long hooded sweatshirts, ponchos they had fashioned from tarps Donnie had found a while back, and baseball caps to wear under the hoods. Between the disguises and the dark, they should be ok.

Raph motioned, and the boys gathered together, waited, and then Dashed across the street one at a time, avoiding the lights and the few people still on the street.

The dumpster was huge, and they could see the bags had just been dropped.

There were also three teens around it, digging through bags and filling their backpacks. The boys stopped short as they entered the alley.

One was a black girl with afro puffs in a jean jacket about 13 years old. One was a Chinese American boy around 16 or 17, with long black hair pulled into a ponytail. Finally, there was a caucasian girl, with long brown hair and a brown leather jacket around 15 or so. They had already pulled out a couple of the trash bags and started to fill their packs with boxes, jars, and bags of food: cookies, crackers, peanut butter, and snack cakes.

The two groups stared at each other for a long second. The alley was dark, and the turtle's faces were hidden deeply in the hoods and hats, so the teens didn't get a good look at them.

Cat saw their size and understood right away they were looking at children. Her voice was friendly, softer than she normally spoke. "Hey." She said "Look, plenty for all. We'll take some, and you can have some ok? No need to fight over it."

The boys glanced at each other, and Snickers and Rover stepped back so the boys wouldn't think that they were going to hurt them.

Leo stepped forward. He was the leader after all….kind of.

"Okay." He said "Thanks."

"Hey, it's cool. We're all just trying to get by right?" Cat smiled. It was obvious these kids didn't want them to get a good look at them, so she didn't try to approach them. "Do you….have a place to stay? If you need to, you can come with us." She said,

"We've got a home," Raph said roughly "We've got a dad."

Cat smiled. It was sweet and a little sad. "That's cool, kid. Then we'll get out of your way."
"I'm not a kid" Raph growled and she grinned.

She looked at her companions and said, "Come on." She picked up her backpack, and they turned and started toward one end of the alley.

"Is there Peanut Butter and Jelly?" Mike called out to them.

Cat looked at him and grinned. She opened her pack, and put two jars on the ground "Here you go."

The teens headed up the fire escape and vanished above the turtle's heads.
"Hurry up," Leo said "I don't think they saw what we look like." He was nervous that someone had already seen them.

They got to the bags and started to load their backpacks. They filled the bags, zipped them up, and headed to the mouth of the alley to head back to the sewers.

There was a yell above them, that sounded like the voice of the girl who had spoken to them. Someone, an adult man, said something they couldn't quite hear but it sounded mean. Then one of the girls shouted "Scatter!" and there was the sound of a fight starting on the apartment roof just above them.

One of the girls cried out with pain. The boys all froze and looked up. Donnie looked around "We….we….." He looked scared.

The boy's voice above "Let go of her! CAT!"

Leo looked up and he looked scared too but he rushed for the fire escape "We have to help" he called to his brothers.

They fell in behind him with no questions, despite the fear on all their faces.

She had no idea why they were on the roof unless they had been following the Shadow kids. If that was the case, they were good because Cat hadn't picked up their presence at all.

The purple dragons had surrounded them without sound. There were five of them, and most of them were older than Shadow. Two were teens, three were in their twenties. All men, and all fairly large.

There had been a rumor going around that the dragons were grabbing kids off the street for someone else. If she had been doubtful before, she knew it was true now. One of the men had a little girl over his shoulder. She was tied up and had something tied over her mouth and she looked terrified. She raised her head…she was about five years old, a little Asian American girl with short black hair.

Snickers yelped as soon as they appeared, in surprise and fear. She hopped back and formed a small group with Cat and Rover. Each teen pulled a weapon. Snickers had her knife, Rover pulled a pair of batons, and Cat's slingshot was in her hand.

"Put the kid down," Cat growled.

"Look at this." One of the dragons said "And I thought we were gonna have a bad night." He nodded, "Don't damage the goods too much."

The one holding the girl held back, but the other four darted forward. Jessie shot two of them with a slug each before one reached her. She dropped the slingshot, and punched him hard, with a pretty decent jab. It staggered the man but he grabbed her and roughly pulled her forward so he could get in a strong blow that stunned her.
"Let go of her! CAT!" Rover yelled, but he couldn't get to her. Neither could Snickers. They were both dealing with their own opponent. The Dragons were fairly well organized and they had some fight training…everyone knew they did work for the Foot. They knew what they were doing.

Cat kicked and struggled, but the man was a lot stronger than she was. She could feel that he was not going to let go, and panic started to rise in her throat.

Then there was a meaty "Thunk" and something hit the man in the temple, hard and swift. He yelped, let go of Cat, and dropped to his knees.

She stumbled back before she realized the man had been struck by a can of Chef Boyardee Spagetti-o's thrown at impressive force.

She turned. The boys from the alley below were all on the edge of the roof, and at the same moment she saw them, three others launched their projectiles at the attacking men.

They were pelting their attackers with the food they had salvaged. And they had deadly aim. Another Dragon, the one on Snickers, dropped…this one knocked out.

The one holding the girl turned and ran for the fire escape. Cat was back on her feet and after him. Snickers, Rover, and the Turtles kept attacking the other Dragons, and the tide quickly turned.

The man with the girl nearly hit the edge of the roof before he was yanked back. Cat had reached him, grabbed his shoulder, and spun him around. She punched him as hard as she could…..knowing she couldn't knock him out but trying to get him to drop the girl.

Two cans hit him as Cat punched him, and he stumbled back. The girl went flying. Cat dove after her, caught her, and hit the ground hard. It knocked the wind out of her, but she cradled the girl to her chest. "I got you honey," She said softly.

The turtles had run out of ammo. As they started to move, one of the Dragons still on their feet dashed at Cat helpless on the ground, weighed down by the little girl now in her arms.

Leo and Raph started to race across the roof toward her. It was clear there was too much distance, no one was going to get to her in time.

Then, there was a tight sound like a twang and a thrum at the same time. A thick black arrow made a thunk as it lodged into the ground before the Dragon rushing toward Cat. He stoped short and stumbled back.

A voice carried over from the next roof over. "Leave these children, and go or my next will be through your heart." It was a calm voice but like iron. All four turtles knew it immediately.

The dragons had enough. Nothing was worth this amount of trouble. They scrambled up and ran for the fire escape, and down into the alley.

Cat got to her feet with the little girl. She untied the child and got the rag off her mouth. The poor kid was crying, and she clung to Cat. Cat murmured, and rocked her gently "It's okay, kiddo. It's okay. You're safe with us, I promise."

She looked over the child's shoulder, across the roof, and only just made out what might have been a hooded figure in the shadow of the maintenance shed on the next building, the curve of a bow in their hand. She looked at the boys still in their deep hoods and saw most of their backpacks were empty. She stepped back and said "Mine's over there. You can have it. Thanks." She smiled a little at them, looked at her band, and said "Come on."

The three teens gathered together. Rover grinned at the boys and left his backpack for them too "Thanks little dudes." he said and the three vanished over the edge of the roof, down the fire escape, still carrying the little girl.

All four turtles turned and looked to where they knew Splinter was standing hidden in the shadows. Of course, he had followed. How had they ever thought their father could be fooled so easily?

"Home," he said sternly. The turtles picked up their packs, and the packs Shadow had left them, and followed their father back into the dark.

They were grounded forever, that much was obvious. Well, a month of not being able to leave the lair. That was practically forever.

However, the haul was grand. They had enough for multiple meals and treats. They had even found one of Splinter's favorite treats…..a package of Little Debbie chocolate cupcakes.

When Leonardo asked why he had let them go, and just followed he only said "It was a good lesson. And I would not let you be in any real danger."

Still, Leo knew his father well enough to know that under his anger that they had snuck out, he was also touched they had tried to do something special for him. It didn't mean he was any less angry of course. But at least it was there.

A few days after they had gone out, he gathered them together. He looked at them with a stern sort of pride "You know I am disappointed that you broke my rules and my trust. You went without my permission. These rules are to protect you." He paused, letting that sink in.

"However, I am proud of you as well. You saw those in need, and you went to their aid. And you were wise in how you aided them. You knew your skills well enough to understand what best you could do to help." He said in a slightly softer tone "That shows me you have taken my lessons to heart."

Raph shrugged "They were nice to us, Master Splinter. They were just kids, and they shared their food." he didn't see the irony in calling teens older than him "kids".

"It is true we must be utterly careful in this world. Many will not understand us. They would even harm us just because we are different." He paused, suddenly thinking of Juliet for the first time in a while. Sudden grief washed over him as he remembered she was long dead by now, but he remembered the lessons she had taught him. "But not all humans will behave that way. Some…maybe just a special few….would accept us. They would see us for who we are, not what we appear to be." And just for a moment, he thought of Jessica, and that beautiful warm ache bloomed in his chest again. It seemed all his ghosts were with him tonight. "It may be that someday, we will meet friends outside this lair. But we must be very very careful, my sons. There is much at stake to reveal ourselves to anyone outside."

Mike looked at him "Those kids…they were special" he said "The girl that was leading them was special. I know it." He didn't explain why, but he had heard it in her voice and the way she had risked herself to save the little girl. He thought they'd all understand, but especially the leader.

"It may be so." Splinter smiled a little despite himself. "They gave us food, and you gave them aid. It is a fair exchange."

He looked them over "One month grounding, and we will put this behind us."

Donnie spoke up for the first time "Can we go above again?" he asked.

"Yes," Splinter said "In ten years. Maybe five if you behave"

The turtles all groaned.

Cat tucked the blanket around the little girl as she slept. They had retreated to a small abandoned maintenance room in the sewer to hide out in case the Dragons were still around. The little girl fell asleep with a ratty blanket and a backpack for a pillow.

She said her name was Mei-Xing, and when they had asked her where her parents were the little girl had started to cry. She managed to explain she had nowhere to go, that she was all alone.

"No you're not," Cat said gently. "You're with us, and we're not going to let anyone else try and hurt you. Or I'll scratch their eyes out because I'm the cat"

That made the girl smile a little, watery. "Are you a cat?"

"Yep. And this is Snickers and Rover. We're all Shadows."

"Could I…be a Shadow?" the girl said "My…..mom used to call me her little Rabbit, cuz I was born in the rabbit year."

"That sounds just right, Rabbit" Said Rover "As long as you want, you can be a rabbit shadow ok?"

The girl nodded. She fell asleep not long after.

The three teens opened the last backpack and passed food around. They didn't talk about any of it. It was just how life was here. Things happened and you survived. And sometimes you found something really special, like a rabbit.

As they all settled down to sleep, Cat….who had not been called Jessie by anyone in a very long time….thought about the bowman and his voice. Commanding, and strong..and yet with that hint of gentleness. A fierce power was there to protect them, even though he had never seen them before. Thinking about it made her suddenly lonely, and sad. It touched something she kept carefully locked up inside her most of the time.

It made her think of Yoshi. She always missed him, but tonight it brought that longing to her almost as strong as only days after he had vanished. She closed her eyes, afraid she might cry if she left them open, and she didn't want to explain that to Shadow.
It was Fathers Day, she suddenly realized. She pulled her arms closer. It was Fathers Day, and she missed her father. Her real father in every way that mattered.

She could not know that he dwelled in a room less than 15 minutes away from where they rested. They were so close to each other. She couldn't know, and so felt the ache of the space that was between them.

It took a long time before she fell asleep. And she dreamed deeply. In her dream, Yoshi was sitting next to her. She couldn't see him properly in the dream, but it was so good to be beside him again, it made her feel whole again. He leaned in and hugged her, and she hugged him and laid her head on his shoulder. He only said one thing to her in the dream, softly.

"I will always protect you, my little one."