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Louis was a simple man. He works a simple corporate job and lives in a fairly nice apartment on the outskirts of New York with his wife and three girls. His life is mundane, but he’s happy with that.
He visits his mother whenever he can, and is forever grateful to Mr. Rosetti, the owner of the corner store on her street, for sending his older sons to check in on her since Dad passed away. Louis worried about her, especially as her eyesight got worse and vanished completely over time, but she refused to go to a care home. She wanted to stay independent, with some help, for as long as she could which Louis respected.
On their last phone call, his mom told him about a new boy that’s been helping her with the housework, Raphael. He didn’t recognize the name, but figured it was a friend of Mr. Rosetti’s boys. This Raphael has apparently been coming over for a few months and is not only a huge help, but seems to enjoy the visits. Mom sounded happier than she had in a long time, telling him all about Raphael and how she’s able to stay at the house after finding a mysterious case of money. Louis tries to ask about that, but his mom gives no solid answers and he lets it go after a while.
Why look a gift horse in the mouth?
When the school year ends for the girls, Louis decides they should all go visit for a few days. He doesn’t call ahead, wanting it to be a surprise.
The old house looks just as he remembers it. The front step is swept clean and the many potted plants are well cared for, the flowers filling the air with a nice aroma. Louis flipped through his key ring to find the right one for the house.
"Shouldn't we knock, dear?" Carol asked, crossing her arms.
"It's fine! Why would Mom give me a key if she didn't want me to use it?" The lock turned and Louis swung the door open. "Hey Ma-!"
Louis's voice died in his throat as he saw what was inside.
There was a green creature in the middle of the room staring right at him. It seemed just as surprised to see him as he was.
The creature cleared its throat and said in a thick Brooklyn accent, "Uh…. Hi? Please don't scream."
Louis was actually considering doing just that when his youngest, Samantha, pointed at the creature and said with all the excitement and authority only a four year old can muster, "Froggy!"
The creature's brow furrowed and it put both hands on its hips. "Now listen here, munchkin. I ain't no frog. I'm a turtle."
Samantha just giggled and rushed to the creature—a turtle, apparently. Louis's brain finally finished rebooting so he could grab Samantha's jacket and pull her to him. His other arm stuck out to keep the rest of his family safely behind him. He didn't know if he could fight this turtle thing. It looked strong, and he could see some kind of weapon at its belt.
His throat clicked as he swallowed and he tried to make his voice firm, though it cracked in the middle, as he asked, "What are you doing in my mother's house!?"
"What's all the commotion?" Louis's mother chose that moment to walk in from the kitchen. "Raphael? Is someone here?"
Raphael? No….
No way.
"This is Raphael!?" He exclaimed, pointing at the turtle even though he knew his mother couldn't see.
"Louie!" Mom's face brightened as she turned to the sound of his voice. "Oh dear, I didn't hear you knock. How nice of you to visit!"
"Gramma!" Samantha wriggled out of Louis's hold to run to his mother, she wrapped her arms around her legs in a big four year old hug.
The other girls also ran to their grandma for hugs, seemingly not caring about the turtle creature awkwardly standing not five feet from them. Louis caught Carol giving him a look, one eyebrow raised, and he scratched the back of his head. Right. Should've knocked.
Once the girls have been sufficiently hugged, Mom gestured to the direction of the turtle. "Girls, this is Raphael. He's been helping me from time to time. Raphael, these are my granddaughters Samantha, Danielle, and Alison.” She placed a hand on each girl’s head as she said their names, going from youngest to oldest, then gestured to where the adults still stood at the door. “And that’s my son Louis, and his wife Carol.”
“It’s, uh, nice to meet you?” Raphael looked like he was ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
Louis, still frozen in place, just opened and closed his mouth like a fish. But Carol stepped forward with a warm grin and grabbed one of Raphael’s hands in both of hers. “It’s so nice to meet you too, Raphael! Margaret has told us so much about you!”
That seemed to be enough to set him at ease and he gave a small smile back. “She did?”
“Of course! She’s told us how big of a help you are. And you even knit with her sometimes! We’re so glad that she has you to look out for her, right dear?”
Carol looked pointedly at Louis and he finally managed to clear his throat enough to speak. “Um, yeah. Thanks for stopping by as much as you do.” He tried to smile, but it probably looked as nervous as he felt.
The girls, somehow completely unfazed that Raphael was some kind of turtle monster, crowded around Raphael and started to bombard him with questions.
Alison crossed her arms. “If you’re a turtle, what kind are you?”
“The mutant ninja kind.”
Samantha grabbed his hand and bounced excitedly. “Where do you live?”
“The sewers.”
Danielle gasped, “Do you have turf wars with the sewer gators!?”
“Now I’ve only met one of those, but he’s chill.”
Louis’s mother just smiled warmly at all the chatter and turned to go back into the kitchen. Louis decided to follow.
"So… Mom. Where's Raphael from?" He asked once they were out of earshot of the living room.
The countertop was already piled with all the needed ingredients for cookies, which Margaret began to measure out and add to a big mixing bowl. "Here in New York, dear."
"Ok. But, like, where?"
"Judging from his accent, I'd say Brooklyn." She said with mirth.
Louis pinched his brow. She's doing this on purpose. "Mom…" He sighed, "You know he's… different, right?"
His mother turned a knowing smirk towards him. "I'm blind, son. Not stupid."
"I know, Ma. I know. It's just…” He sighed. “He's not human. You have to know that, right? What if… what if he’s dangerous?"
"Louie!" She faced him fully now, hands on her hips. It was easy to forget she was blind, Margaret Morrison could still glare with the best of them. "I raised you better than to judge someone based on their appearance! Raphael is a sweet young man, and he comes here regularly to spend time with an old woman. He is kind, polite, and he helps me with whatever I need. Look at him, dear. Really look."
Louis did as she told and peered around the corner into the living room.
Danny was clinging to Raphael's bicep, and he was lifting her into the air with ease. Carol was praising his strength, and little Sam was bouncing and clapping at his feet.
"What is this, amateur hour? C'mon, I can take more than that!"
Now that he was actually paying close attention, the turtle was covered in scars. Most were small; little nicks and thin, faded lines. Some, though, looked like they must have hurt. He couldn't confidently guess an age, but Raphael couldn't be older than highschool age. Not all that much older than Alison. What could the life of a turtle person be like? It certainly couldn't be an easy life.
Raphael looked like he didn't have many opportunities to laugh like this.
Louis felt his mother's hand on his shoulder. "You know how this world can be so cruel to anyone even a little different."
He watched as Alison grabbed Raphael’s other arm and was lifted off the ground like she weighed nothing.
"I'm more than happy to make my home somewhere for him to be wholly himself. Now," she patted Louis' shoulder with finality, "help me with these cookies, dear."
Louis let his gaze linger on his family for another moment before turning back into the kitchen. "Yes ma'am."
—
Don blinked at the sight before him. There was Raphael, like he expected. What he hadn't expected, however, was to see his brother with three children hanging off him as he stomped around the room. Two were hanging off his arms and the smallest was sitting on his shoulders, holding his mask tails like they were the reins of a horse. All of them were giggling. Don couldn't remember the last time he heard Raph giggle.
He stood in the doorway for a solid minute just staring, still holding his copy of the key.
Raph finally noticed him and froze. "Uh… I can explain?" He shrugged as best he could under the weight of the kids.
Distantly, Donny heard a faint, incredulous voice from the kitchen, "There's more of them?"
Don shook his head. "Raph, what are you doing? You were supposed to come back an hour ago."
Raph just shrugs again and gestures with the girls on his arms. "The grandkids came over to visit."
The little girl on Raph's shoulders, dressed in green overalls with a cartoon frog on the front and matching rain boots clapped excitedly and pointed at Donatello. "Another froggy!"
"Turtle." Both brothers said in unison.
"Is that Donatello I hear?"
Don turns to the kitchen to see Mrs. Morrison coming out holding a tray of cookies.
"Yes Ma'am. I'm just here to pick up Raph."
"Oh can't you stay a moment, dear? You're just in time for cookies!"
She sets the tray on the coffee table and the kids scramble off Raph to claim one. Even Raph grabs one after setting the little girl down.
"Well…" He knew he should just grab Raph and leave, Leo was already worried as it was, but it felt like a crime to turn down Mrs. Morrison's cookies. "Maybe just one."
The little girl in the frog overalls, already with crumbs all around her mouth, tapped Donny's leg to get his attention and reached her arms out to be picked up. He can't deny something so cute, Raph isn't the only one with a soft spot for kids, so he picked her up and set her comfortably on his hip.
She squints at him skeptically. "Are you sure you're not a froggy?"
"Pretty sure."
"Maybe they're swamp creatures!" The girl wearing a baseball cap backwards and a tie dye shirt exclaimed. "Here to eat our brains!"
She took a big bite out of her cookie making what she must have thought swamp monsters would sound like, but she ended up sounding more like Cookie Monster.
"I thought it was zombies that ate brains?" The oldest girl asked.
Raph grabbed another cookie, having already scarfed down the first one. "Danny, if I wanted to eat ya." He leans closer, an evil smirk growing, "I would have already."
For a moment, Don worried that the kids would freak out, but they seemed completely unphased. All three continued to happily munch on their cookies.
Finally caving, Donatello grabbed himself a cookie too. Just one. Then he and Raph would head home.
—
"What is taking them so long?" Leo stood with his arms crossed, staring at the entrance to the lair and willing his brothers to walk in.
Raph had gone out to see Mrs. Morrison earlier that afternoon, and when he hadn't come home when he said he would, Leo had asked Donatello to go grab their brother. That was half an hour ago.
"Dude, you're going to wear a hole into the floor with all your pacing." Mikey said from the couch, where he was lounging with a comic. "Raph and Don are fine! They're with Mrs. M!"
Leo didn't stop his pacing. "They should have been back ages ago. I don't know, Mike. Something feels different. Maybe we should go and make sure they're alright."
Mikey leapt from the couch, raring to go. "Shell yeah! Hope they didn't eat all the cookies."
—
Instead of the sweet old woman they were expecting, a man answered the door. He looked surprised once he registered what, exactly, he was looking at, then he seemed to resign himself to his fate before either turtle could react.
"Oh. More of you. Cool." He opened the door further and waved them inside. "Your brothers are over there."
The man gestured toward the kitchen where, sure enough, Raph and Don were sitting at the table with three kids. There was a half empty plate of cookies between them. The girls were watching Don with rapt attention as he explained something, gesturing with the hand that held a cookie to get whatever his point was across.
"-and that's why, I think, turtles are cooler than frogs." Donatello was saying.
"Especially," Raph cut in, "mutant ninja turtles like us!"
From the kitchen doorway, Leo cleared his throat. Don jumped and spun in his chair. "Leo!"
Leo crossed his arms and gave him a flat look. "Donatello. You were supposed to get Raph and come right back."
"...Hasn't it only been a few minutes?"
"No, Don." Leo sighed. "It hasn't."
Don looked from Leo, to his half eaten cookie (which, judging by the state of the plate between them all, was not his first), to his empty teacup, then back to Leo. He smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "The grandkids came over to visit?"
“More turtles!” The smallest girl exclaimed, a huge grin plastered on her crumb covered face.
"Hey, look at that!" Raph laughed. "She's learning!"
The little girl jumped from her seat and barrelled into Mikey's legs, bouncing up and down with her arms raised above her head. "Up! Up!"
Mikey happily scooped her up. “Well hey there, kiddo!”
"Mike, come on. You know we can't stay." Leo tried to be stern, but he's rapidly losing hope of this being a quick mission.
The girl in the backwards baseball cap suddenly points at Mikey. "Oh you're Mikey? Raph and Donny said that you like comics!"
The orange clad turtle beams. "Sure do! And I'm not one to brag," Raph snorts but Mikey ignores him, "but I think I have the best collection in all of New York!"
"Wicked!" The girl—Danny, she introduces herself as—pops the last of her cookie in her mouth and rushes around the table to Mikey. "Have you read the newest Silver Sentry issue?"
Leo sighed and pinched his brow. He knew that once his brother got started on his favorite superhero, nothing short of an apocalypse would be able to stop him.
"Um, Leonardo, right?" The oldest of the kids was standing next to him. "I'm Alison. I like your swords. Mom says I can't have a sword until I'm sixteen."
"Oh, uh, thanks."
"I'm a blue belt in karate."
Leo didn't actually know much about karate, just that a black belt belonged to a master. At least according to the movies. But he didn't want to admit his lack of knowledge, so he just nodded. "That's a good color."
Alison beamed at the praise and he couldn't help but smile back.
"Y'know," Mikey said with Danny hanging off his shell and carrying the little girl under one arm like a football, "I've always wanted a little sister."
The little girl squealed in joy, kicking her feet. "Spin! Spin!"
"One Mikey Tornado, comin' up!" Mikey declared and started to spin in place, making both girls squeal and laugh.
"Hey, if you make them puke, aim them away from us." Raph said.
"Please. I'm a professional!"
Thankfully, Mikey moved his "tornado" to the other room so no one had to worry about him running into anybody.
"Oh! Check this out!" Leo's attention was drawn back to Alison, who had assumed a widened stance with her arms up. "I learned how to do a roundhouse kick!"
"Ali," a woman Leo hadn't noticed, probably the girls' mom, scolded before Alison could even attempt, "no karate in the kitchen."
She lowered her hands. "Aw, Mom, please? Just one?"
Her mother shook her head. "Absolutely not. Not after last time."
Alison deflated and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Well, it's super cool and I bet you'd be really impressed.
Leo couldn't completely hide his chuckle. "I'm sure I would be."
That brought a smile back to her face. "Yeah! I bet I could even take you in a fight! What do you think, Danny?"
Danny came back into the kitchen, wobbling only a little. She put her hands on her hips and looked Leo up and down. "By yourself? Maybe. But I don't think you'd win. But with both of us I bet we could take 'im!"
That got a cackle out of Raph. "Oh I would pay to see that! I bet you two would give Fearless a run for his money! Hey if they actually beat you does that mean they take over as leader?"
"Raph, I don't–"
"Oh shell! Is that really the time!?" Don exclaimed when he noticed the clock on the wall.
Raph looked over his shoulder at the clock and groaned. "Master Splinter's gonna kill us."
"Who's that?" Alison asked.
"Our dad. He’s a rat." Mikey added as he strolled back into the kitchen, still holding a giggling Samantha.
Danny's brows scrunched in confusion. "How does a rat have four turtles for sons?"
"Oh he found us, right after we mutated and–" Donny started to say.
“No, Don.” Leo cut him off, "If we start telling stories we're going to be even later. We can tell that one next time."
Alison perked up. "There's gonna be a next time?"
Raph tousled her hair. "As many next times as you want, kid."
—
The lair is dark when they finally get home. Leo hopes that means Splinter went to sleep and didn't realize just how long they were all gone. They've barely crept a few steps into the main room before a light turns on.
Their father stood with his arms crossed and a serious expression. "My sons, do you realize what time it is? I was growing worried! Where on earth have you been?"
The brothers all look at each other for a moment before Leo finally sighs and faces his Sensei. "The grandkids came over to visit."