There were a lot of things Miss Monroe had seen growing up in the dangerous streets of New York City.

She had been through a racial point in time where riots were rampant throughout the city. She was a young, spry thing holding up her sign with a bright look on her face. She listened to the words of the famous African-Americans Martin Luther King, Thurgood Marshal, and Rosa Parks. She had met the love of her life at an activist rally. They got married and traveled down to the islands and met the craziest group of hipsters who got them caught in their island rituals. They even had children, three of whom who went to high schools that had thugs and drug dealers. It was a miracle that they made it out with full scholarship rides to the best universities.
Then she and her sweetheart moved into the apartment building to work in the small town shops. Her husband was a strong working man who was kindhearted and brave. He protected her from the big-time gangs and those wicked foot clans! Alas, her husband died a long time ago and she had to fend for herself. She protected the young adults from the dark gangs of the city.

Now she was in the kitchen, cooking for a bunch of turtles, two small baby girls, and her favorite adopted child in the whole building.

Mikey went to grab her wooden spoon, getting his hand whacked away. He held his hand, whimpering a bit.

"Not yet, sweetie. Y'all get to taste my famous sweet potato mash when it's ready." She said, patting his head a bit. "Can you do me a favor and serve the tea on the pot? I'm not sure if you can understand, but I know you can do it."

Mikey nodded, jumping on the counter and carefully taking the pot off the stove. Moving slowly, he smiled at Miss Monroe and walked into the living room. There, he saw Holly sitting on the couch, rocking April in her arms while Karai was asleep in her lap. Leo was looking at the pictures of a younger Miss Monroe, fascinated by her life. Raph was looking out the window, watching the cars move by. Donnie was reading the books on the coffee table, books about history, and life in the Renaissance of Harlem. Mikey placed the pot on the table and patted his mother's leg. Holly glanced down and smiled.

"Thank you. Miss Monroe has got you working in the kitchen with her, I see?" Holly gently laid April down next to Karai, both of them hugging each other for warmth. "Ooh! This is her famous chamomile tea! I could use it after the day I've had. I am certain that she'll teach you her tricks of trade since she worked in a restaurant on the East Side."

Mikey bounced on the balls of his feet in excitement. He couldn't wait to cook with the nice granny lady! Holly poured some tea in the various cups and added a lot of sugar in her own. The rest of the turtles walked over and tapped the cups slightly.

"What are those things?" Raph asked, talking in their own baby noise.

"They are for drinking this hot liquid that granny made on the flame thing! It was so cool how it lit up, and the white, puffy stuff came out of it!" Mikey described, passing the cups around.

"I believe they are called teacups." Donnie said, blowing on top of his. "This is used to hold tea within it. Tea is apparently made up of leaves and water." He sniffed his cup. "Smells good too..."

"Whatever it is, mom is drinking it slowly. Guess the hot water burns your mouth." Leo observed, taking a tentative sip of his tea. "Wow, this stuff is bland."

"Add some of that white powdery substance in your cup." Donnie suggested, taking the spoon and placing some in his. "It helps to enhance the flavor."

Holly watched them with a raised eyebrow. These turtles were strange, but she was willing to give them a chance. They actually looked like they could light up her life. She patted the heads of the small females, too. They were with these turtles when she found them. She wondered what they were doing with a bunch of turtles?

"Holly, tell the youngins to go wash up for supper. I have everything ready! Can you come and set the table, child?" Miss Monroe's voice called from the dining room.

Holly smiled and shook the babies awake. April yawned cutely and blinked her eyes open. Karai shook her head and darted her eyes around in worry. She stopped at Holly and babbled a bit.

"You! Thank goodness you are unharmed!" She waved her arms upward. "Where are we? Are we safe? Does that mean man gonna get us?"

Holly picked her up and placed her against her hip. "Nice to see you up again. We are going to eat dinner with a trusted friend of mine."

"Great, cause I am starving!" April babbled, making grabby hands towards Holly, who picked her up and placed her on the other hip.

"Boys, can you go wash your hands in the bathroom? It's down the hall here." Holly said, knowing the turtles could hear her. They placed their cups on the table and raced to the bathroom, some shoving each other to get there first. Reaching the bathroom, they started pushing each other to wash first.

"Stop pushing me, Raph! I got here first!" Mikey yelled, falling to the ground.

"Yeah, well, I get to wash first! I smelled the food she was cooking." Raph said, grinning down at him. "You snooze, you lose, bro!"

"Enough bickering, guys! I just want to get something in my belly. I haven't eaten in hours!" Leo said, picking up the bar of soap. "Guess we wash with this thing."

"Technically, we lather ourselves with it. We wash it off in the water." Donnie said, earning a glance from all his brothers.

"Whatever, smartie! I just want to eat!" Raph said, turning on the water, amazed about how it rushed. "Woah!"

"That looks so cool! I want to splash in it!" Mikey played a bit with the water, watching the water fill the basin. "So clean and fresh!"

"Watch where you're splashing Mikey! We are gonna be soaking wet!" Leo complained.

"What is taking those boys so long?" Miss Monroe asked, putting a bunch of grilled chicken on Holly's plate. The girls were in a high chair, sucking down milk in a couple of baby bottles.

"I told them to wash up. I hope they didn't take a shower instead." Holly wondered, getting up. "Maybe I should go check on them."

"Go ahead, Holly. I can watch the girls. Don't be too late or your dinner will get cold!"

Holly nodded, heading to the bathroom and opening the door. A splash of warm water hit her face as she stared down at the four turtles who had the bathroom now soaking wet. The dampness of the embroidered handtowels, the puddle on the ground, and the obvious overflowing sink made her heart stop.

"Um...Ms. Monroe..." Holly began, giving the turtles a disappointed look. "We may have a little accident on our hands in here."