Hey'all! sorry its so late, but today has been pretty crazy for me. I was hanging out with a friend for most of it and writing songs for our band (which is newly thought of, I'll let y'all know how it turns out) and then my dog went missing for several hours. Luckily she's fine and we're both home now, and I remembered that its Tuesday and I owe y'all a one-shot! This is different than most of mine mostly because it's a companion piece to my recently finished fanfiction Shall My Brother Be, and it spans several years ending just before that one did. and its main character isn't from the show at all, but you'll see. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the TMNT characters, but I do own the OCS.

Everything was ruined, and it was all his parent's fault. Ten-year-old Joey stared out the window of his Uncle's car, trying to ignore the bumping and jostling of his older brothers beside him. In one day, everything had changed. Mike was gone, their parents had been taken, and now they were being sent to live with relatives for the next year or so… hopefully not forever.

Joey sniffled, rubbing tears off his face as he hugged his backpack to his chest. Ryan's elbow jostled him roughly, but Joey didn't say anything. All he could think about was his big brother, lost forever. All they knew was that Mikey was getting beat. In public. In front of everyone. Mom and Mike were only at the store to pick up some things for Joey's birthday dinner, but now it looked like he wouldn't be getting one. Joey rubbed tears away again, trying not to let his brothers see, but it was too late.

"You're crying?" Ryan grabbed Joey and turned him around, staring incredulously. "You big baby." Joey hunched his shoulders and shook his head. Ryan snorted, shoving him against the wall. "It's all Mike's fault, the little scab. I'm glad I never have to see his face again." Joey didn't say anything.

"You boys hungry?" Aunt Mads asked as they pulled into a drive-thru. "We're getting some things for the kids, you can pick from the dollar menu."

"Nuggets," Julian said, rather violently. Joey didn't say anything, just looked out the window at the dirty sidewalk, the parking lot, and the street outside. Everyone just living their lives, probably good ones. Not knowing that somewhere, somehow, someone's life was being ripped apart from the edges.

"What do you want, little Joe?" Mads asked. Joey blinked and looked around, shaking his head.

"I… I ain't hungry Aunt Mads," he said softly. Ryan and Julian snickered.

"You aren't hungry." Mads corrected, frowning. "Well, I'll get you a sandwich anyway, just in case." Joey shrugged, looking out the window again as they drove up to the window.

"What are you cryin' about?" Ryan asked now, grabbing his ear and yanking on it, in a way Joey assumed he thought was brotherly.

"Nothin'," Joey said softly, looking now at the floor of the car.

"Nothing, yeah right." Julian scoffed. "He misses his mommy."

"Your mom too," Joey mumbled softly.

"Yeah well, I'm eighteen in a few months," Julian said with a shrug. "As soon as that happens, I'll be gone. Hear me? Gone." Joey hunched his shoulders slightly again, nodding. They drove away, the smell of fast food filling the car and making Joey's stomach rumble.

"Wish I could kick the crap outta him one more time," Ryan said after eating his food. Joey looked at him with a frown. Ryan was grinned, looking at their oldest brother, and didn't see. "Say goodbye."

"Maybe we will," Julian said mysteriously, Joey bit his lip, trying not the think about that. He just wanted their family to be together, and happy, again. Was that too much to ask? He never wanted them to hurt Mikey, especially when it was because he did something wrong. It was like everyone blamed Mike for the entire family's problems… everyone except him that is. Joey was just a kid, how was he supposed to help Mikey, who was two years older than him to the day. Not that anyone but he and Mike cared. Joey frowned, looking out the window. It was Mikey's birthday too, he was turning thirteen. At least one of them got away, now Mike would be able to be happy, or close to it.

"What are you thinking about?" Ryan asked now, side-hugging Joey with a grin. "Changing your mind about eating?"

"N-no… I'm not hungry." Joey said again, taking a deep breath.

"Figures." Ryan laughed, stabbing a finger into Joey's stomach, Joey winced. "What? That hurt?"

"No, it didn't," Joey said, slightly defensively. "And you're just jealous because I don't have to eat every two seconds." Ryan scowled.

"Hey, you little punk!" he snarled, Joey's eyes widened.

"Boys," Mads said from the front, and Ryan let go of Joey, still scowling. "Be nice to each other, you've all had a long day."

"Thanks to Mike," Ryan muttered under his breath, Joey sighed, slouching smaller. He could feel hostility coming from everyone in the car, and he couldn't help but worry it was directed at him.

"We're almost there." Uncle Mark said now, glancing back at them. "So this is how it'll go down, alright?" he had all of their attention. "You three will be sharing the guest room until we make better arrangements, there's a bed and a bunk bed so you all have a mattress to sleep on and everything, but I want to make it clear that this is temporary." Joey bit his lip. "You guys know that we can't just keep you forever, and odds are your parents will be out in the next two years or so. That being said, we'll be treating you as guests, and I expect you three to behave like guests. Understood?"

"Yessir," Joey mumbled softly as his brothers agreed as well.

"Alright then." they pulled into the driveway of the run-down house and he turned the engine off. "Mads, can you show them where the guest room is?"

"Come on you three," Mads said as they got out of the car, backpacks and duffle bags in hand. Joey followed closely, feeling nervous as they walked up the steps into the house, which was dingy and scary looking in the eyes of a ten-year-old. To his surprise, Ryan put an almost gentle hand on his shoulder, his eyes showing support. That was an expression Joey rarely saw on his brother's face and forced a smile in response. "Here we go, home sweet home," she said, opening the door. The room was about as big as Joey's at their old place, which was now under investigation. A twin bed was crammed between a dresser and the wall, and the bunk bed opposite was made of a kind of metal, with rusted red paint on the ladder.

"I call the bed," Julian said, pushing past and dropping his bag on it. "You two can fight over the top bunk."

"Top." Ryan immediately said, shoving Joey into the wall, then he looked back with a shark-like grin. "Unless you wanna fight for it."

"I… I'm fine with the bottom," Joey mumbled softly. The ten-year-old swiped hair out of his eyes and put his bags on the end of the bad, wincing as it creaked. That was probably really uncomfortable. Joey sighed softly and closed his eyes. Mike… I miss you already.

One Year Later

Joey lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he thought about the past year. The past year. Gosh, had it really been a year since they got into this mess? The kid rolled onto one side and looked to where his older brother was asleep. Julian had managed to find a friend and move out a while ago… that was right before they were moved to live with Uncle Joe - Joey's namesake.

It had been a whole year since Joey saw his big brother, Mikey. The young boy sighed heavily. He missed Mike, he missed Mikey a lot more than he thought he would. It was their birthday today, the boy recalled fondly. He remembered all those years that he hadn't known his brother even had a birthday… Joey cringed. He hated thinking about Mikey, he really did. Not because he was mad at Mikey, but because he'd had no idea as a kid that the other boy in the house was his brother, was family and not some kind of...slave.

Joey blew out a sad breath and closed his eyes against the dim morning. He could still remember the sneer in Julian's voice when he explained it. Joey had been eight years old. He had explained how Mikey was a bad boy, how Mommy and Daddy hated him. How they had to hate him too, or they'd turn out to be just like him. Joey's small world had changed, then, and he'd never looked at Mikey quite the same way again. He remembered after that, the two years at least, that he'd tried to be nicer to the older boy. Joey remembered the stunning smile he'd received in return, Mikey never smiled. Not unless he was with Joey.

Joey yawned widely, scrunching his eyes shut. They snapped open again, however, when his phone vibrated under his pillow. He pulled it out, hitting the answer button without checking the number. If it was a scam it was a scam, he really didn't care at the moment.

"Who the heck is calling me at…" Joey glanced at the clock. "Six AM?" was it Julian? Probably not.

"Happy birthday, Joey." he voice on the other end was chillingly familiar, and Joey wracked his brain, then sat up with wide eyes. No way, it couldn't be! He was imagining things, it was Julian for sure. But… what if it wasn't?

"Wh-Who the heck is this?" he stammered, "how do you know it's my birthday?" he had to know he had to know he had to know! Whoever it was made a strange half strangled sobbing noise. Joey knew that voice!

"Hard to forget when you share." and there it was. Joey felt his hands shaking as he turned in the bed, bare feet brushing the floor.

"M-Mike?" Joey choked out, shocked. "What the heck! No way, why are you calling me?" he laughed giddily, then glanced at Ryan warily. Mikey didn't say anything for a moment.

"Happy birthday." he finally said, and Joey grinned. "How you been, Joey?" Joey didn't know what to say to that. How had he been? Stressed out of his mind that's how!

"Well, gosh, I didn't think I'd ever talk to you again…" tears sprang to his eyes and Joey swallowed thickly. "Man, what can I say?" Mikey didn't reply, and Joey swallowed nervously. "Uh, you know that Mom and Dad are getting out next week?" even saying that made shivers of fear run down Joey's spine.

"Uh, no, I didn't know that," Mikey said softly, Joey bit his lip. "Joey, I was adopted by these great people, I know I'm not really allowed to see you guys or talk to you but… I just wanted to say happy birthday." not allowed to talk to him? Joey hung his head sadly. Then imagined Mikey's smile and grinned again.

"Man, I haven't seen you for so long!" the twelve-year-old exclaimed, "do you want to talk to Julian and Ryan?" he heard Mikey suck in a breath, a sound he recognized from years and years of living with Mikey… and their parents. Whoops.

"What? No!" that reaction was probably less than Joey had expected, the boy lay back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. "Joey, I don't want to talk to them, I'm sorry, I just wanted to say happy birthday."

"Are you sure?" Joey asked, despite already knowing the answer. "What about Uncle Joe? He's who we've been staying with recently." what Mikey said next was a complete shock to the twelve-year-old.

"Joey, you know we could get in trouble for this right?"

"What do you mean?" Joey asked, scowling. Get in trouble… what kind of trouble? "Y-you're my big brother, Mikey!" he choked back a sob. "I miss you! And it's not like I ever wanted Mom and Dad to hurt you, I never did anything to you! Why can't you talk to me?" why couldn't they? Because Joey wasn't beat like Mikey was? Were they separated by that, yet again?

"I dunno," Mikey said softly. "But Ms. Lily said no contact...I figured this was contact." Mikey replied casually. Joey frowned. "But I guess we can't really get in trouble… how you been, Joey?" how had he been? Joey frowned, where should he start? He didn't wanna hurt Mikey…

"I've been okay." he lied, "I mean, getting shifted around every three months is hard but we have it worked out." he hesitated, "and since Mom and Dad will be back soon we'll move back to the apartment." a pause.

"Oh." Mikey sounded upset, great. Just another Joey screw up. "I'm sorry you've been moving around so much, Joey, I wish you didn't have to." yeah, Joey wished he didn't have to either. "Listen, I better go." Joey could hear the guilt and sadness in his brother's voice and clamped his eyes shut as if it could shield him from it.

"Aw… okay." he forced himself to sound casual. He faked a yawn. "Happy Birthday, Mikey."

"Happy birthday, Joey." Joey could hear the smile in Mikey's voice and sighed deeply. "Bye."

"Bye." Joey hung up and dropped his phone onto the mattress beside him, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. After a year, he'd finally been able to say goodbye to his big brother. Joey sniffled and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow as he hugged it. This was going to be one hard day.

One Week Later

"Really missed this place." Joey glanced at his brother, surprised at the sarcasm dripping from his voice. Ryan dropped a duffel bag on the floor and stalked back out to the driveway, leaving him there alone in the dusty apartment. Joey looked around warily, hating the sight of everything from his childhood. That's when a shadow cast across the light in the doorway and he turned with a false smile at his father.

"Home sweet home." the twelve-year-olds voice cracked. "Right dad?"

"Shut up." Joey gasped as he was shoved to the side, and the man walked past without a second thought. A lump formed in his throat and Joey clamped his eyes shut, not moving.

"Joe." Ryan was there, pulling him to his feet. Joey looked up at him with wide eyes, ones filled with tears. Ryan just looked at him, the expression a mix of bitterness and sympathy. He shook his head. The message, in Joey's mind, was clear. Don't talk to father. With that, Ryan turned away and carried his bags toward the bedrooms. Joey watched him go, then scooped up his own bag and skirted around the kitchen, following Ryan down the hallway.

Ryan had been acting strange recently, and Joey didn't know what to make of it. He glanced into his brother's room quickly as he passed. Ryan was standing in the middle, staring blankly around at the walls. They still had posters hanging there, an unfinished homework assignment. In one flash, Joey understood Ryans resentment towards Michelangelo. They'd been torn up at the roots. One second everything was normal, and the next it was chaos. And it was chaos for the next year, and counting. Joey hurried on to his own room and closed the door safely behind him. His room was the same as well, his bed wasn't even made. Joey grinned at that, but it slid off when he heard a shout from the other room. Home for five minutes and things were already getting back to normal. Great.

"Get out here now!" Joey dropped the bags he was holding and yanked the door open, eyes wide as he met Ryan's tired gaze. They both walked out to the living room, Ryan slid slightly in front of Joe. it surprised Joey, but he didn't mind. Father glared at both of them, seeming to size them up. "Where's your brother?" he snapped. Joey bit his lip.

"We don't know," Ryan said. "He left a few months ago - he is eighteen now." Father just stared at him.

"And what about you, hotshot? You're sixteen. Why don't you go buy a car?" he snarled, Ryan didn't say anything. Joey shrunk into his shoulders, glancing to where Mother was sitting at the table, glaring at nothing.

"I'm not going anywhere." Ryan finally said, taking a fraction of a step further to his left, covering Joey more. Joey had no clue where this new protectiveness was coming from, but at least something was between him and Fathers angry fists.

"You sure aren't." Father hissed, eyes narrowed. Then he lunged forward and grabbed Joey's arm, dragging him out into the open. "What about you, kid? You gonna run off and join the circus?" Joey stared at him with wide eyes and shook his head. Ryan grabbed his shoulders.

"Dad…" his voice was strained. "Joe doesn't know anything about this, he's just a kid." just a kid. Joey felt his eyes fill with tears, he didn't understand what was happening. Father just glared at them both, then shoved Joey roughly into Ryan's chest, making them both stumble. Then the man turned and stalked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. The room fell into an eerie silence. Joey stayed where he was, staring at the floor. Ryan kept his hands tightly around his shoulders and collarbone for a moment longer, then released him.

"R-Ryan…"

"You just gotta be careful." Ryan interrupted in a whisper. Joey could hear the fear in his voice. "They don't got a scapegoat now that Mike's gone." Joey nodded, then reached up and wiped tears away.

"...kay." Ryan smiled a bit, patting his head.

"Good." the older boy said, Joey could see something broken deep within his eyes. "You can be strong for me, Joe. I know it." something about how he said that sent chills down Joey's spine, but he nodded anyway.

Sometime around the same time but also not at the same time

Joey sat on his bed with wide tear filled eyes. He stared at the loving words in Mikey's messages and smiled thinly. His breathing was shaky, and the bruise on his cheekbone smarted painfully. Mikey didn't know anything about what was really happening here. Joey didn't think telling him was necessary, after all, this family wasn't Mikey's problem anymore. They'd actually texted before Father's last rampage, earlier in the evening. Now it was about five thirty in the morning, and Joey still couldn't' sleep.

"Heh…" Joey smiled a bit as he scrolled through the messages. Mikey was like his new best friend, even if they hadn't seen each other for what seemed like forever. Joey just didn't have anyone else. Unless you counted Ryan, who was becoming more and more withdrawn every day. They'd only been back in the apartment for a few days, and Joey already hated it.

He hated the weird smell from his parent's cigarettes and alcohol. He hated the memories of his childhood that were at every corner. He hated the way Mother and Father looked at him, full of disdain. Joey sniffled, rubbing his face gingerly. He hated the way Father got angry and took it out on him and Ryan.

A loud bang from another room brought Joey's head up, and he gripped his phone tightly in his hand. He could hear Father muttering curses in the other room. Then the hallway. His eyes widened as the voice drew closer, and Joey sat frozen on his bed when Father slammed the door open. His gaze was unfocused, and he seemed confused as to why Joey was awake.

"You…" he breathed out, staggering over to grab Joey's chin. Joey winced at the rough hands. "What are you doing… gimme that." Joey gasped as the phone was tugged out of his hands, and he scrambled away in fear. Father scowled, then glared at the phone as if it had personally wronged him. Oh no.

"Dad, I-"

"Shut UP!" Dad slapped Joey across the face and Joey gasped, holding up a hand to protect himself. "What are you doing, texting him? He doesn't care about you!"

"But-"

"NO!" another ringing slap sent Joey's head back against the wall, dots danced in his eyes and he curled up, terrified. "You deserve everything that's ever happened to you, you little punk." Joey clamped his eyes shut. "Michelangelo doesn't care about you."

"He does…" Joey whimpered softly. "He does…"

"I said to shut up." Fathers voice was low and dangerous, Joey clamped his mouth shut fearfully. The silence ticked by as Father stared down at the phone, then he turned and stormed out. "Don't let me catch you up this late again!" he snarled, then slammed the door shut. Joey hugged his knees and sobbed, rocking himself. What was Father going to do? He sobbed harder at the thought. What had Joey done? What if Father could find Mikey now? Maybe… maybe this is why they weren't supposed to contact each other.

Joey winced, hearing shouting from the living room. It was one-sided, and he knew exactly what was happening. And it was all his fault. The boy curled up and hugged his pillow, sobbing into it instead. Mikey… oh, Mikey. I'm so sorry, big bro. I never meant to hurt you.

Two Years Later

"Where is your brother?" Father gripped Joey's arms tightly and Joey quivered, shaking his head.

"I-I-I don't know!" he choked out. "I haven't seen him all day!"

"Well go find him!" Father yelled, throwing Joey away from him. "And bring him back here!" Joey nodded, then scrambled to the front door and yanked it open. It was cold, and he didn't have a jacket, but Joey didn't care. As long as he was out of that house for a few minutes.

"Ryan!" Joey yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. No answer, of course, no answer. Joey ran down the sidewalk, feeling slightly panicked. What if he didn't find Ryan? What would happen? He shuddered a bit, turning down an alley on some kind of whim. "Ry- Ryan!" there was a lone figure sitting cross-legged at the end of the alley, Joey could see something in his hand. Ryans head turned, and Joey was met by his haunted gaze. "Ryan…?"

"Get out of here, Joe," Ryan said, voice tight. "Get out of here now."

"Ryan… Ryan, you gotta come home…" Joey walked closer, feeling chills. "Dad's freaking out… I gotta-"

"Joe… I'm sorry." Ryan interrupted. Joey came to a halt when he saw what was in Ryan's hands. When he saw the scarlet blood over his forearms. His eyes widened in horror when he realized what was happening.

"Ryan…!"

"I really am sorry, Joe." Joey clamped his eyes shut as he saw the blade rip through his brother's skin again, and he choked out a sob.

"Ryan- Ryan!" he whimpered, plastering himself against the wall. Ryan didn't say anything. Joey slid down the wall and hugged his knees, his eyes still closed. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be happening! "Ryan…"

Joey had no idea how long he sat there, but it was long enough for Ryans body to start to get cold. When he finally did open his eyes, he tried to avoid the grisly sight as much as possible as he knelt next to his brother, eyes filled with tears. Ryan had abandoned him, just left him at the hands of the parents.

Joey took the knife and folded it, it really was impulsive, he didn't know why. Joey stuffed it into his pocket and stood up, backing away. What was he supposed to do now? He was only fourteen! Oh gosh… Joey choked back sobs and ran toward the house. What was he supposed to tell Father? He couldn't bear to say the truth, but he had to say something. Joey managed to stop crying and dry off his face just outside the front door. He knew that as soon as he entered it without Ryan, all heck would break loose. The fourteen-year-old took a deep breath and opened the door. Just as expected, Father grabbed his shirt the moment he stepped inside.

"Where is he?" Father snarled. Joey stared at him fearfully.

"I… I didn't find him…" he lied softly. "I looked everywhere… m-maybe… maybe he left..." Father narrowed his eyes, and Joey stared at him with wide ones. Then Father let out an animalistic scream of anger and shoved Joey away carelessly. Joey hit the wall and gasped, tears springing back to his eyes.

"That little brat." Father snarled, but he was glaring right at Joey. "He left you alone, little Joe. All alone. I guess he never did care about you, did he?" Joey didn't say anything. How could he? "Just like Mike never cared." Father stepped closer and Joey choked back a sob. "And Julian never cared." another step closer. "Just like no one ever cared."

"I-I'm sorry…" Joey said softly. Father ignored him, storming into the kitchen. Joey sniffled, watching him go. Father was right about one thing, he was on his own now.

Four More Years Later (sorry about the big skips LOL)

Joey sighed slowly, watching his breath fog out in front of him. People glanced at him warily as he passed by, a duffel bag over his shoulder and a large coat hiding his bruised arms. Nothing would hide his battered face, however, and that's why they were staring. He'd walked away. Joey had packed up and left and never looked back, not before getting the heck beat out of him though. But he was bigger now, stronger. The man sighed, closing his eyes momentarily as he stood by the railing. He'd never wanted to do this, he'd never wanted to be that guy. And he'd certainly never wanted to be like Ryan. but Joey didn't have anyone to protect, he just had a stupid father who never wanted to see him again.

He took a deep breath again and opened his eyes, gripping the railing tightly. The street was mostly deserted now, he had no idea how long he'd been standing here. Joey dropped the duffel bag at his feet, then hoisted himself up onto the other side of the railing. That's when he heard the car tires screeching, and couldn't help but turn slightly to see what happened.

It was the one car on the street, and it was quickly reversing toward him. Oh great. Before Joe could turn back and let go, however, he heard a voice he'd never imagined hearing again.

"Joey?!" Joe gasped, gripping the railing tighter. He closed his eyes as the car door flew open, then opened them again to see a somehow familiar face. Even though he hadn't seen that face in seven years, he knew exactly who it was. Mikey reached out and grabbed Joe's arms, bright blue eyes filled with alarm.

"Mike…?" Joe had to be sure. Mikey nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"Joey, what are you doing here?" Mikey countered, gripping him tighter. "I was just driving home from work when I see some kid out here… then I see your face. I mean I woulda stopped either way but heck, what are you doing?"

"I…" Joey couldn't look his brother in the eye. Mikey sighed softly and pulled Joey up over the railing. It surprised Joe how strong Mikey was, of course, it's not like Joey was very heavy. "Mikey, I…"

"Who did this to you?" Mikey demanded, eyes hard as he inspected Joey's battered face. Joey could tell he already knew the answer, and so he didn't speak. Mikey sighed, and while keeping a hand on Joey's shoulder, picked up the duffel bag. "Get in the car, Joe."

"Kay…" Joey didn't protest. Whether it was the shame, shock, or just pure confusion, he had no idea. All the more likely it was confusion. Mikey was obviously agitated as he started driving again, away from the bridge. Finally, he glanced over, and Joey avoided his gaze.

"Look." Mikey breathed a long breath. "We don't have to talk about that right now. I just wanna know how long they were hitting you." Joey shrugged, leaning his head on the window.

"...since they got out."

"WHAT!" Mikey jerked the wheel so hard he nearly crashed into a tree, then he turned and stared at Joey. Joey winced. "Joe, why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell me? I mean, I hadn't heard from you since I was fourteen and then I saw you today! What the heck was that about?"

"Oh, because keeping in touch worked out so great that time!" Joey snapped. "He was gonna kill you, Mike! He swore that if he ever laid eyes on you again, he'd-"

"Yeah well what about you, Mr. I can take care of it myself?" Mikey demanded. "You just nearly… ugh." he turned back to the road, shaking his head. "This is what we're gonna do, Joe. Hear me out."

"Kay."

"We're gonna go to my house, and drink hot chocolate and watch movies." Mikey declared, Joe smirked a bit as he saw a glimpse of that stunning grin he remembered. "And once we both had a little bit clearer heads, we can talk about this over some cookies or something."

"Right." Joe agreed, smiling a bit. Wow, when was the last time he smiled? "What about after that?"

"Well…" Mikey hit the turning signal, brow furrowed. "We'll see. You can't go back there, obviously."

"You got that right," Joey mumbled miserably.

"So I guess you can stay at my place, at least until we get you situated," Mikey said, Joey raised his eyebrows. "No arguing."

"...fine," he grumbled, then smirked a bit. "We're adults, Mike." Mikey sighed.

"Yeah Joe and one would think an adult could use his brain." he tapped Joey's forehead gently, and Joey frowned.

"Look, I-"

"Nah ah ah!" Mikey shook a finger as he pulled into an apartment complex parking lot. "Not until we have cookies." Joey snorted but nodded in agreement. Mikey put his car into park and then turned, face deadly serious. "Joe."

"Yeah?"

"Once we get all this figured out, I want you to tell me about our brothers."

Two Weeks Later

"Joe!" Joey froze, his back to the door of Mikey's guest room. "What are you doing- give me that!" Michelangelo snatched the knife out of Joey's hands and turned him around, eyes wide in alarm. "Joey, you can't… you can't do that." Joey bit his lip and nodded, looking away. "I mean it, Joe."

"I…" what was Joey supposed to say? Mikey gently grabbed his arm and inspected it, his scowl growing. "Mikey, I-"

"That's it," Mikey said softly, Joey's eyes widened. "We gotta get you some help, little brother." Joey scowled.

"What do you mean, help?"

"Help with this!" Mikey said loudly, gesturing with the knife at Joey's arm. "You can't hurt yourself, Joey it's not good for you."

"Well, I knew that," Joey muttered, rolling his eyes. Mikey sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm not even married and I have a rebellious teenager," he grumbled, smirking. Joey grinned. "Listen Joe. You need to get help, okay? It's nothing to be ashamed of." he added. Joey raised a brow. "Even I needed help, a while back," Mikey explained, folding the knife and slipping it into his pocket. Joey stared at him.

"You…"

"No, no no no!" Mikey made a 't' sign with his hands. "Not that bad, Joe, I didn't get this bad and I still needed help. Raph and Leo, they got this bad when they were your age. Not me, heck only knows why."

"Okay, fine." Joey sighed, shoulders slumping. "What kind of help? You want me to lay on some couch, or whatever?" Mikey grinned.

"Joe, you know that's a stereotype." he laughed. Joey sighed and closed his eyes.

"I don't want help."

"Well sucks for you then," Mikey said cheerfully. "Because I can't let you do this to yourself. I'm gonna call someone, we'll figure it out." Joey opened his eyes and watched as Mikey dialed, then looked down at his arms, which he'd almost cut again when Mikey walked in. He winced, knowing what this must look like to Mikey, especially after he heard about Ryan.

Well, kind of. Mikey had already known about the boy found dead from suicide in some alley, no identification. He knew it was Ryan. According to Mikey, he'd just moved out and was the one to contact police, giving their brother a name for his headstone and one person at his funeral. That had shocked Joey, it really had. After everything Ryan did to Mikey, the guy still went to his funeral.

"I'm sorry Mikey," Joe said softly, hugging himself. Mikey just gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. Joey leaned against the wall, he was tired. He'd been tired for a long time.

One year later

"Hey, Joe." Joe turned, surprised when his roommate spoke. He didn't, not really. Jordan was sitting cross-legged on his bed, watching Joey with a sullen expression. "Be careful out there in the real world." Joey smiled and nodded.

"I will," he promised, then grabbed a paper from Jordan's desk and scribbled onto it. "When you get outta here, gimme a call. You're a good guy." Jordan grinned an nodded.

"Yeah okay." he snorted. "Don't do anything fun without me."

"I won't," Joey promised. Then he picked up his bag again and gave his friend a goofy salute. And then he was walking to the waiting room, where a man that looked like him was waiting. Mikey stood up, smiling.

"Let's get pizza," he said, clapping Joeys shoulder. Joey raised a brow. Seriously? The first thing he said was let's get pizza? Joey grinned.

"I love that idea." he declared, following Mikey out of the institution. He glanced back, eyes traveling up to the second story window of his old room. Well, that part of his life was thankfully over. Hopefully for good. "You didn't have to pick me up, y'know," Joey said as Mikey popped his trunk. "I'm almost Twenty, now."

"And I'm twenty-two." Mikey agreed. "Seniority priority, bro." he grinned. "Been waiting a year to use that card."

"Haha." Joey rolled his eyes and tossed the bag he was holding into the trunk. "You're hilarious."

"I get that a lot," Mikey said, then tossed his keys in the air and caught them again. They got into the car and Mikey started the engine. "What kind of pizza do you want, Joe? I prefer marshmallow Jelly Bean, but the guys are always whining about it, so…?"

"Wait, what?" Joey grinned, eyebrows raised. "Marshmallow jelly bean pizza?"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Mikey waved a hand. "I know, it sounds-"

"Awesome!" Joey agreed. Mikey turned to grin at him.

"I like you already, little brother." he joked. Joey smirked. "Marshmallow jelly bean pizza it is." they fell silent for a moment, then Mikey reached forward and turned on the radio. Joey watched his hand go back to the wheel, mind flashing.

He could remember a time when Michelangelo's arms were pale, covered in bruises. His fingertips permanently red, and every bone sticking out from beneath his skin. Joey held back a shudder as he glanced at his own arms, which had been similar much more recently. Mikey glanced at him with a sad smile.

"You're okay now, little Joe," he vowed. "No one's ever gonna hurt you again, I promise."

"Yeah, so you've told me," Joey said with a smile. "Many times."

"Yeah, because I mean it!" Mikey grinned. "You've been out of the loop for forever haven't ya? I gotta tell you about the guy's babies, they're so cute! Little Lukie's almost three now… Raph's having a hard time keeping track of him!"

Joey couldn't help but smile as Mikey rattled on and on about his family. His brothers, his sisters in law, and his nieces and nephews. As they approached the pizza bar, however, a feeling of melancholy settled into Joey's chest and he frowned, looking out the window. Mikey glanced between him and the road, worried.

"Hey Joe, don't go into remission already!" he attempted to joke, but Joey could tell he was concerned.

"Mike… I really appreciate all this." he began, taking a deep breath. "But we… I'm not a part of your life anymore. I shouldn't be, anyway. You escaped from us… you escaped a long time ago. It's not fair that I'm here now, we aren't even brothers anymore, I just-"

"Hey hey hey hold on!" Mikey said, holding up a hand. "Who says we aren't brothers anymore, Joe? Who says you aren't a part of my life?" he shook his head. "Just because you didn't tell me what was happening, just because you were too scared to contact me, that doesn't mean I wasn't worried about you." Joey looked at him, Mikey was frowning.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ever since you dropped out of contact back when you were twelve," Mikey began. "I've been worried. You were living with that… with Father for a long time Joe. I didn't know if you got out, if you got killed, all I knew was that a couple years later Ryan turned up dead. I've been praying for ya ever since."

"...you pray?" Joey asked, brow raised. Mikey. Mikey who had suffered so much in his young years, who had been told he was a mistake, believed in that stuff? In God?

"Yeah." Mikey parked in the pizza bar parking lot. "Look, Joey, I won't let you say anything else about this not being okay." Joey opened his mouth to protest. "Nah ah ah! Nothing else! You're stuck with me whether you like it or not!" Joey sighed.

"Mike, you have a completely different family now." he pointed out. "And from what I know, your brothers wouldn't be too thrilled to meet me." Mikey bit his lip.

"Well, okay yeah." he agreed. "They wouldn't be. But that's not fair, Joey. They just… they don't know about what's happened to ya. They don't know any of that stuff." Joey raised his brows. "It's not my stuff to tell, Joe. And if you don't wanna meet them, you don't have to meet them." he hesitated. "But it sure would be nice if you did one day."

Roughly Three Years Later… let's just say Later

Joey squinted at the address scribbled on his hand, then looked back up at the house. He could see a police cruiser parked on the street but wasn't worried because he knew that was just Raphael's car. He snorted. Why would he be worried? He'd only had slightly traumatizing experiences that involved policemen. He could hear kids laughing and screaming from the backyard, as well as the familiar sound of Mikey's dog barking. Joey sighed heavily and pushed his car door open, then stepped onto the street.

"Well, now or never." Joey chuckled nervously, starting up the walk. When he reached the porch, he made out a murmur of voices from somewhere inside, including Mikey's loud one. He smiled, then reached up and knocked quickly on the door.

"I'LL GET IT!" yeah, that was definitely Mikey. The door opened and Mikey reached out, grabbing his shoulder with a bright smile on his face. Joey walked inside, looking at the others apprehensively. "Guys, this is Joey!" Mikey declared, throwing his arm around Joey's shoulders. "He's my little bro! Haha, I'm not the youngest!" Joey forced a smile at this. The tall one, Donatello, was just staring at him. He wasn't sure he liked it.

"Donatello." the older man said now, Joey shook his hand. "This is my wife, April." Joey nodded, wiping his hands nervously on his jeans.

"Geez, Donnie, so formal! Joe here knows all about you guys!" this was true, Joey reflected. Mikey really liked talking about his family. Joey glanced to the other two, Raph and Leo. they were watching him with expressions of mild curiosity, and some hostility in Raphael's case. Joey smiled again. "Come to meet my parents Joey, they're great, you're gonna love them. And just wait until you meet Renet, oh and the kids! They're great too, come on this is the kitchen." Mikey was pulling him, and Joey couldn't help but laugh at his brother's excitement.

"You really have wanted this for a while." he murmured, soft enough so that only Mikey could hear. Mikey beamed as they entered the kitchen.

"Mom, dad, this is Joey," he said, ruffling Joey's hair. Joe rolled his eyes. "Joe, this is my Mom and Dad."

"Hello, Joey." Mr. Hamato shook Joey's hand firmly, eyes shining. "I am glad to see you are well. We weren't aware Michelangelo was in contact with you."

"Oh." Joey didn't know what to say to that. Then the man's wife was there, hugging him gently. Okay, this was just a little weird. The doorbell rang, and then Mikey was gone. Joey watched him go, unsure what the heck to do. "Um, yeah. We got back in contact a few years ago, after I moved out…"

"He did mention that, about two minutes ago." Mr. Hamato said, smiling widely. Joey laughed, shaking his head.

"Mikey forgot to tell you I was coming, didn't he?"

"Until two minutes ago, yes." Mr. Hamato nodded. "But it is quite alright. You look… well." Joey nodded, self consciously pulling the sleeve of his jacket down over the fading scars on his wrist, he could tell that Hamato had seen them, but the man said nothing. "You will always be welcome here, of course. It seems Michelangelo is fond of you."

"Um… yeah…" Joey rubbed his neck. "He's a little… overbearing. Less so recently, after I got a job, but yeah."

"Ah, where do you work?" Mr. Hamato asked, leaning on the counter. Joey smiled.

"Well, I've been going to cooking school." he began. Hamato smiled even wider and put a hand on Joey's shoulder.

"I think we will get along very well." he said. "Welcome home, my son."