Chapter Text
She was eight. All of eight with thick dark brown hair down to her waist and bangs cropped straight across at her brow, making it all the more obvious when she narrowed those wide blue eyes to glare at someone. Freckles were spattered across round cheeks, and she had a little mouth that pursed up to one side just like his when she was mad. She had just lost the top two front baby teeth, and the new teeth were just coming in.
She liked kittens and frogs and mud puddles, rainbows and hockey and green hair ribbons. The stuffed puppy toy she kept on her pillow was named Jelly Bean. Her trapper keeper had a picture of the tortoise her second grade class kept as a pet the year before, right next to the tarantula her third grade class had now.
She wanted to donate her hair to Wigs for Kids, in memory of their mom.
She was eight and had a heart big enough for all the world, and she didn’t deserve the hell they had at home.
The promise he had made to his mother as she lay dying in hospice care was as solid as he could make it: when she was gone, he would take care of Gabrielle. And he would take care of his dad, too: this would hit him as hard or harder than either of the kids.
And Gabrielle… she had only been five when the cancer took their mother away.
She stopped wanting to be called Gabrielle by the time she turned six. She wanted to be called Shadow. So he called her Shadow.
He couldn’t blame her. When it was all focused on him, he could handle it. He had been a fighter since he was young, getting into scraps as soon as he’d figured out he could. Not that he was a bad kid, not really: he was an average student usually, good at hockey, and he tended to only fight bullies who went after weaker kids.
It wasn’t Shadow’s fault that their father hadn’t handled their mother’s death well. It wasn’t her fault that he spent his nights lost in the bottom of a bottle, or that he saw all of his own faults in his headstrong son and took them out in a vicious rage. He’d suffered black eyes and bruises and sprained wrists, but he was a fighter. He played hockey. He’d had worse.
Casey Jones could take that.
But Shadow didn’t deserve it.
Which was why he was sitting with his little sister in her room while she cried, ignoring the sting from a fresh shiner over his left eye, more focused on the rapid swelling of Shadow’s right cheek. Their father had been as apologetic as he could be through the haze of alcohol.
Shadow had just gotten in the way.
He hadn’t meant to hurt her.
She looked so much like their mother.
She was such a good girl.
Not like her brother.
Casey, however, was having none of it. He was glad it was summer break. They could stay with the turtles while they figured out a plan for what would follow. He put her favorite books and toys in the backpack he’d gotten her for her birthday, embroidered with her name, and packed her little suitcase with as many changes of clothes, essentials, and pajamas as he could fit. A few more would fit in his duffel with his own things, and he could use a ziploc bag for toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other important things.
It was still all he could do not to rush back downstairs and pick a whole new fight, but he wouldn’t do that. He needed to get Shadow out of the house and somewhere he knew she’d be safe.
“Hey, Shad, come on.” He gave a weak smile, reaching up to very gently bump his knuckles against her chin. “It’ll be like a sleepover, right? I’m gonna introduce you to some of my friends. You’ll like ‘em, I promise. They’ve got a cat! And you remember April, right? You met her. She braided your hair when we were in the park while she helped me with math. She’ll be there too.”
Shadow gave the tiniest hint of a nod and he tried again to smile. He’d text Raphael and April on the way down, let them know he was coming. Hopefully the shock of seeing four giant talking turtles would be negated by being somewhere as cool as the lair.
He’d have to think of a really good explanation for Splinter, but that could come later.
As soon as he had everything packed, Casey got to his feet, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder before helping Shadow get her backpack on. Then he picked up her suitcase and took her hand in his free one. He could carry her down the fire escape, and from there… from there they were only a manhole away.
The younger Jones had been understandably wary about entering the manhole, even with Casey’s assurances that it was fine. Both Raph and April, in their replies to him, had been puzzled by the urgency of the messages, but he only had a little time before good old Arnold Casey, Sr came looking for them.
Shadow’s hand tightened on his in the darker spots along the path to the lair, and he carried her on his back for a while when the floor got a bit wet. His shoulders hurt a little by the time he actually reached the turnstiles into the old abandoned subway station, but… they were here.
As he’d requested in his text, April was the one waiting there, and the turtles were nowhere to be seen. He guessed they were either in their rooms or in the dojo. “Hey, Red. Thanks for helping out.”
“Your message kinda freaked everyone out, Casey. What’s going on- Shadow? Casey, why is Shadow with you?”
“Because shhhh-sewer apples. Sewer apples happened.”
Her brow arched at his sudden change in word choice, but considering the present company, she made no comment. He was keeping his left side turned from her, leaning down to help Shadow slip under the turnstile. He went unnoticed then, however, because April had noticed the large bruise forming on Shadow’s round little cheek. “Oh my god! Casey, what happened to her- what happened to your eye?!”
Casey bit his lip, just watching as April dropped to her knees to check his little sister’s cheek. Shadow’s eyes were still wet with tears, and even April’s very delicate touch to the bruise was causing her lip to tremble anew. “...it was our dad-”
April’s eyes shot up. “Your dad?! Casey, your dad hit you?! He hit your sister?!” She visibly tried to swallow her rage when her tone made Shadow recoil with a hiccup, but now her eyes were fully on Casey. “How long has this been going on?”
“Look, he’s never hurt Shadow before.” He reached over the turnstiles to put down his duffel bag and Shadow’s suitcase. “I keep his attention on me and he leaves her alone-”
“This is a constant?!”
He frowned as he hopped the turnstile himself, refusing to meet April’s gaze. “He didn’t take it well when our mom died, okay? It’s fine. I promised Mom I’d take care of him and Shadow when she died, and I’ve tried. I just… he never hurt Shadow before, okay? So I stayed because of what I promised Mom.”
April gave him a long, hard look, her jaw set, but Casey still wasn’t meeting her gaze. So she huffed out a sigh, reaching down to push Shadow’s hair out of her face. “Hey, Shad. C’mon. Let’s get an ice pack and an ice cream sandwich, okay?”
The girl lifted her eyes slightly, then nodded, one small hand coming up to grip April’s, and she followed quietly over to the couch. The further they got, the more Shadow’s expression shifted from frightened to curious, blue eyes wide. “...where are we?”
“Well, uh… this is where our friends live. You’ll get to meet ‘em in a few minutes. Casey can go get them. They’re really nice. I promise you’ll like them.”
Shadow’s nose wrinkled up at that, leaning back when she sat down on the couch. “They live in the sewer?”
April had to resist the urge to snort at how the look on Shadow’s face made her look like her brother. “Yeah. But you’ll understand why soon. Cross my heart.”
As for Casey, the first person he sought out once Shadow was with April was Raphael. He headed straight for the second son’s door, knocking a few times and looking genuinely surprised when it flew open.
For once, the oft times hard to read turtle looked worried. His intense green eyes were wide, focused on his friend’s face, though Casey could see the rage building as he studied the black eye Casey had gotten for defending his sister. “What the hell happened?!”
“Dude, keep it down.” He slipped into the room, pressing the door closed behind him. Raph was probably the best friend he had ever had, and if there was anyone he felt comfortable unloading to, it was him. “Look, it’s nothing-”
“Nothing my ass, you’ve got a shiner the size of my fist! Where the hell’s your gear? Here, I’m gonna get an ice pack-”
“Raph, dude, please, at least let April get Shadow settled!”
The turtle opened his mouth briefly, then closed it, and the fury seemed to melt into genuine confusion. “Dude. Casey. Why did you bring your sister here.”
Casey hesitated, and he knew Raph noticed. Finally, he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “The old man and I had a fight-”
That got Raph’s red right back up. “Wait. He hit you?! I’m gonna kill ‘im-”
“That’s not why I came down!” Casey let out an exasperated sigh. “I came because this time he hit Shadow-”
If Raph had been angry before, that had been multiplied ten fold now. His broad shoulders drew up tightly as his eyes narrowed to slits, the protective membrane that slid over them in the span of a blink giving them the eerie impression of empty white. “He hit you… multiple times, it sounds like. And now he hit your sister.” There was a horrifying calm to his tone. “Casey? I love you, man, you know that. You’re my best bro. And I am gonna fuckin’ mangle your fuckin’ dad.”
Casey tensed, his fists clenching at his sides. “I know you’re just wantin’ to help, Raph, but not right now. Please, okay? This is such a mess…”
He had already started to pace, and Raph took that moment to glance outside, watching as April tended to someone sitting on the couch. He furrowed his brow. “Why didn’t you tell us? We’re your friends, dude, you can trust us.”
“Because I was scared, okay?! If I told you guys, what if you confronted my dad? Or what if something got slipped to social services? If they took me and Shadow away from my dad, what if they’d separated us? I can’t do that.”
“She’s gonna freak out when she sees us. How old is she anyway?”
“Shad? She’s eight. Dude, you’d be surprised. She’s really smart. Come on.”
Raph glanced out into the main room again, then sighed. “If you say so. I think Mikey’s the better choice for this, though…” He stepped out of his room, keeping his steps quiet as possible and maintaining his distance to try to keep from scaring the girl. “This is a terrible idea.”
At hearing the pair approach, April lifted her head. She’d moved Shadow to sit on her lap, gently stroking the girl’s long hair to calm her down, and she swallowed hard before looking down slightly. “Hey Shad. Company.”
Shadow lifted her head at that, then turned to look over, and her eyes went wide as saucers. She was entirely fixated on Raph, her jaw slightly agape as she stared at him, trying to figure out if she was dreaming or not. “...is that a turtle?”
“Yep. He’s a turtle. Shadow, this is one of my friends.” Casey gave the best smile he could muster, motioning to his companion. “Raphael Hamato. We all just call him Raph.”
For several moments, Shadow didn’t even move. The ice pack she’d been holding against her swollen cheek was long forgotten, and finally she closed her mouth, eyes still wide in her round face. When she spoke, her voice came out as a breathless whisper. “That’s so cool.”
Raph’s shoulders relaxed a bit at that, and he stepped close enough to fold his arms on the back of the couch next to where Shadow was sitting. “Guess it is pretty cool, huh? So you’re Shadow, right? Casey’s told me about you.”
“Uh-huh.” She was eyeing him carefully, blue eyes squinted as she leaned her head back, pressing her lips together thoughtfully. “You look really tough. Your arms are bigger than my head.”
He couldn’t resist a grin, cocking his head slightly to one side. “That’s ‘cause I work out a lot.”
Casey snorted, rolling his eyes. “He’s a ninja, Shad.”
Those eyes narrowed further and she leaned forward toward Raph again, bottom lip sticking out just slightly as she observed him, little fingers digging into the couch cushions. “Are you a real ninja or are you just a faker?”
Oh god, she sounded just like Casey. His grin widened. “I’m a real, honest to goodness ninja. Cross my heart.”
Seemingly convinced by his confirmation of this information, she nodded, shoulders relaxing as she gave him a more curious once-over, but her eyes stopped on the lightning bolt shaped chip in his plastron. The corners of her lips tugged down slightly as she seemed to tense up all over again, reaching out to press her hand very lightly over the old injury.
Raph couldn’t even remember how he had gotten it, but Shadow seemed transfixed.
He let her be, watching as her fingertips traced the edge, but it was all he could do to keep his entire frame from tensing in rage when she spoke, not looking up at his face.
“Does your dad hit you too?”
He had to let out the slowest, most carefully measured breath ever, stilling the intense feelings of shock and horror that a girl this little would have to ask a question like that. It was a struggle to swallow past the tightness in his throat, to ignore the tension that crept up his arms, through his shell, into his shoulders and neck.
Casey was looking away, tense and surly, so Raph lifted one hand to pat the one Shadow had laid on his plastron. “No. I got this when I was real little, on accident. My dad’s a good guy. He taught me and my brothers how to fight back against bullies like dads who hit their kids.”
Shadow’s eyes drifted away, but she looked back up at him with a tiny smile after a moment or two. “You’ve got brothers?”
“Yep. Three brothers, in fact. I’m the second oldest.”
“So you’ve just got one big brother. Like me!”
“Sure do. And he’s a great guy too, just like your big bro. But let’s keep that a secret between us, aight?” Raph spared a wink, his grin returning. He just hoped she couldn’t tell how it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “And I’ve got two little brothers, too. We’ll make sure you meet everybody.”
The commotion in the pit had finally drawn the attention of the other residents of the lair, and it wasn’t long until he noticed a presence at the edge of his vision. Donatello was standing there next to Michelangelo, but where the elder of the two was observing with cautious hesitation, Mikey was already bounding over, a cheerful expression brightening his freckled face.
“Dude, is this why Casey said to lay low? Who’s the munchkin? Awh, she’s so cute!”
Shadow’s nose scrunched up at that, her cheeks puffing out as Mikey bounded over the couch to sit opposite April, next to her. She looked up at the newcomer with the same careful look she gave Raph, but his enthusiastic smile and completely at ease aura seemed to settle some of her fears. She did give his plastron a careful look, as if checking for any damage similar to what Raph carried, before sitting back and gazing up at his face. “I’m Shadow Jones. Casey’s my brother.”
Mikey’s eyes went even wider. “Ohhhhh my gyah we finally get to meet you. He talks about you like. All the time, little dude. Or is it dudette? Do you have a preference?”
Shadow giggled at that, though she winced when her smile stretched the muscles of her cheek. After a moment, she shook off the unease and sat back. “Whatever you want, I guess. You have freckles!”
“Yep! And so do you, I see. You are veeery clever. Are you sure you’re Casey’s little sis? You seem way smarter than him.”
“Hey!” Casey shot back, turning back to the couch. “Low blow, Mike.”
The youngest turtle just grinned up at him, but that smile faded when he noticed that both the Jones siblings were sporting similar swollen bruises on their faces. He stared at Casey, then looked down at Shadow, who was watching him with a furrowed brow, narrow shoulders curled inward. He was frowning. “So you two’re stayin’ with us for a while, huh?”
Slowly, Shadow nodded. “Casey said we’re gonna sleep over.”
Raph tensed a bit. No one here would have any problem with this, but he hoped Casey had a better plan for the long run. Without some really careful finagling, they couldn’t stay here forever.
Mikey either didn’t realize this or he didn’t care, and he reached up to ruffle Shadow’s hair. “That’ll be so cool! I got all kinds of awesome video games, and we’ve got board games too, and you’re gonna love all my bros. See, we’re both the youngest. We baby sibs gotta stick together.”
As the pair talked, Casey’s shoulders seemed to start to relax again, and he stood a little straighter from the uneasy slouch he’d taken on. His sister seemed intrigued more than scared, and that was the absolute most important thing. “Shadow, this is Mikey. He’s weird.”
“Well I like him,” Shadow retorted, and then her attention shifted to the tall, lanky turtle on the steps. Donnie shifted a bit under the scrutiny as she asked, “Who’re you?”
Casey’s eyes rolled skyward and he grinned, motioning with one hand. “Come on, Don. She’s not gonna bite. Shad, that’s Donnie. He’s a jerk.”
Donnie made an affronted sound, but he stepped down into the pit anyway, offering a smile. “I am most certainly not a jerk, Casey, thank you very much. Is this your little sister?”
“One in the same. Don, this is Shadow. Shadow, Donnie. He’s the resident genius.”
She gazed up at him curiously, and when she saw the gap in his teeth, she grinned, making sure to show her own teeth - currently missing the front two. “I’ll bet you’re not really a jerk,” she stated, matter of fact. “Casey’s just a weirdo.” When he laughed, grinning wider at Casey’s frustrated expression, she leaned back. “So are you the oldest?”
“Nono, I’m the second youngest. The oldest is Leo. Who I think was meditating in the dojo-”
“Was being the operative word.” The voice came from near the back of the lair as Leonardo slipped out from behind the panel door, brow arched. “What’s going on out here? I just checked my t-cell and Mike had sent a text about laying low until- oh.” He blinked, cocking his head to one side as he looked toward the gathering, matching the eyes of the girl peering over the back of the couch. “I… didn’t realize we had company.”
Casey immediately moved to interject. “Sorry about the short notice, Leo- here. This is my little sister Shadow. We needed somewhere to go for a while. Things are kinda weird at home right now…”
Narrowing his eyes, Leo leaned forward slightly. “...you’ve got a black eye. And I noticed your sister’s cheek.” Shadow ducked down a little bit, her own eyes wide and starting to go glassy with tears the instant he mentioned her face, though she kept watching Leo carefully. He seemed to notice this, offering a little smile and wave. “Though… I think maybe we should talk about that later. Hey there. Shadow, right?”
She didn’t speak at first, lips pressed tightly together. Finally, though, she nodded. “Uh-huh. Your name’s Leo?”
“Mmhm. I’ve heard a lot about you. I think we all have.” He sat down on the back of the couch near Mikey, though the quick look he shared with Casey, April, and his brothers indicated no uncertain terms that they were going to have words about this later. “You seem pretty brave. I mean, we gotta look pretty scary.”
Shadow shook her head emphatically, causing her thick hair to whip about her shoulders and head. “No way. You’re all way cool, and if you’re real ninjas, then Casey and me are safe here.” She puffed out her cheeks for a moment, considered, then smiled. “I like it here.”
“Well, we’re glad to hear that,” April finally spoke up, pushing Shadow’s hair out of her face. “Your brother talks about you a lot. So I’m glad you finally got to meet the guys.”
Casey gave a broad grin, reaching out to put his hands on his sister’s shoulders. “We’ll have fun here while we figure things out, Shadow. Promise.”
She was grinning up at him when the door to the dojo opened again, and this time a low voice, calm and steady, drew everyone’s attention to the back of the lair. “Casey. I was unaware you had brought us a guest tonight.” Splinter’s eyes were on Shadow, who had sunk down behind the couch again until only her eyes were showing. “...a word, please, Casey. In the dojo.” When he turned back to the room he had just left, he only said one more word: “Now.”
Shadow shrunk down even further, but April reached forward to rub her back gently. “Master Splinter’s nice, Shad. You’ll see. He just wants to talk to Casey for a minute.”
Hearing what they were saying, Casey gave a thumbs up to the pair before trudging his way back to the dojo.
Unlike Splinter’s four sons, Casey had absolutely no training or elegance when it came to properly sitting down in the dojo. He knew enough to take his shoes off out of respect, but other than that, he dropped into a sort of haphazard, slouching sit in front of the mutant rat, his eyes downcast. Months before, he may’ve back talked or been generally beligerent in this situation, but now, he just sat in silence.
“The girl is the sister you have spoken so much of. Am I correct?”
“Yeah, sensei.”
“Her face is injured.”
“...yeah.”
“As is your eye.”
“Yeah, so?”
He was rewarded with Splinter clearing his throat rather sharply, an indication that he wasn't going to accept the backtalk. “Would you care to tell me what happened?”
A long silence followed as Casey squirmed uneasily where he sat. What was he supposed to say? To tell Splinter? Was he supposed to just spill everything that had happened in the last three years?
At the same time, Splinter was more of a father to him than his own had been in that same span of time. He sighed slowly, rubbing the back of his head and never quite meeting Splinter’s steady, thoughtful gaze.
“It’s our dad. He- this is harder than I thought, I mean. I’ve never really talked to anyone about this.” He hesitated, rubbing his hands hard against his thighs. How was he supposed to say this? Would Splinter be angry about it? About the fact that he hadn’t shared any of this information with the turtles before now? Before it had come to this? “See… our mom died about three years ago, and our dad took it kinda hard. Sometimes he just… has a little too much and he loses his temper. Usually it’s all focused on me, and I can take that. But tonight he… he hit Shadow, and I can’t stand for that.”
When he looked back up, Splinter’s ears were fully forward, his jaw very tight. He was watching Casey, hands resting on his knees. Something about his expression seemed darker than Casey had ever seen it, and it was several uncomfortable moments before he finally spoke. “You and your sister are welcome to stay as long as you require, but we must try to discern a course of action. I do not wish to see either of you returned to your father, especially if what you say is an indication of his past behavior as well… but my limited knowledge of the legality in this situation could put you and your sister at risk.”
Casey glanced away at that, rocking back slightly. “...yeah. I know. But… thank you, for letting us stay in the meantime. Shadow seems to really like the guys.”
“Shadow is your sister’s name, then?”
“Oh, uh. No, actually her name’s Gabrielle. But she hates being called that, or Gabby.” His shoulders curled forward slightly. “Probably on account of hearing it yelled so much. She decided she wanted to be called Shadow, so that’s what everyone calls her…”
He knew that in general, Splinter was not the sort to use nicknames. Though all four of the turtles used nicknames unless they were calling one of their brothers out, he’d never heard their father refer to them that way in the whole time he’d known them. So it surprised him somewhat when the rat gave a short nod. “It would be rude of me to call her otherwise.”
Casey honestly was happy for the way that had turned out, though his cheeks were still a bit flushed. He hadn’t really wanted to talk about any of that, and bringing it up left a sick, burning feeling in his gut. But Splinter hadn’t judged, and hadn’t pressed further than what little Casey put forth, so he tried to put it out of his mind.
Besides, the main area of the lair was filled with happier sounds. He could hear Shadow laughing, and Mikey’s utterly dismayed groaning. “You beat me with Peach?!”
“That’s cuz I’m awesome with Peach,” Shadow chirped. “And you’re playing Kirby. Peach is so much better.”
“Ohohoho, Mike. You just got schooled by an eight year old.” That was Raph, slouched on the couch between Leo and April, with Donnie sitting opposite him. “So what is it now, best three out of five?”
He couldn’t help a smile at that, striding over with the most nonchalant expression. “Hey Shad, I don’t wanna interrupt, but I got someone else you need to meet.” As the girl lowered the controller and turned her head toward her brother, her blue eyes grew wide, shifting past him to the sight of Splinter stepping up behind him. “This is the guys’ dad… Master Splinter.”
Shadow was just staring at him now, expression warring somewhere between wanting to run and being utterly fascinated by the sight of a six foot tall rat wearing what to a small girl must’ve looked like a bathrobe. She stared for a moment, then quietly walked over to the couch and picked up a pillow before launching it right at Casey’s head.
He spluttered for a moment, giving his sister such a look. “Shadow Jones, what was that for?!”
“You have all these cool friends and you never even told me about any of ‘em but April!” she cried, most aggrieved. “You’re so weird!”
Leo just rolled his eyes at the pair, looking down before pushing lightly on the back of Mikey’s shell with the heel of his foot. “Sounds like she’s gonna fit right in down here.”