A week had passed since the turtles had defeated Krang and received their keys to the city from Chief Vincent and Ellie and Brooke tried adjusting back to their regular lives.

But to be fair, finding out that six-foot-tall mutant turtles exist and then having to help them defeat one of the most notorious criminals in New York, two of his mutant henchmen and an alien from space and then trying to go back to the lives they lived, proved to be quite the challenge.

A light rain shower currently fell onto the streets of New York. With Autumn now in season, Ellie knew she had to bid goodbye to the long days when she could spend the evenings painting as the sun began to set.

Watching the rain fall, Ellie waited for Ivy to show up so she could clock out. She was hunched over her sketchbook, doodling as she always was. As she finished the outline she realised that she had subconsciously drawn a turtle onto the page.

Not a mutant one but a regular, pet, turtle. How could she not realise what she'd been drawing? Ellie decided to shrug it off, after all, there were a few times in her life when she hadn't noticed what she'd done.

Hearing the door open she looked up from sketching to see Ivy, closing her umbrella that was splattered with raindrops on the dark grey canopy.

"Hey Ives" She greeted.

"Hey, girl" The redhead replied back as she made her way to the front counter. Ellie shoved her sketchbook into her bag before slinging the cotton tote bag over her shoulder.

The two girls briefly chatted before Ellie handed the reins of the afternoon shift off to Ivy. Leaving the gallery, she decided to call Brooke. Since she had the rest of the afternoon off she figured the two of them could do something together, like they always did whenever they had free time.

The phone only rang for a few seconds before Brooke's voice came through.

"Hey bitch" She was greeted.

Ellie rolled her eyes playfully at her sister's lovely greeting. "Hey, Brookie, are you free right now?" She smiled as she talked into the receiver. "Yeah, I'm not going back to work until Monday" Brooke replied back.

After the ceremony, Chief Vincent had offered Brooke and Casey back their roles on the police force. While Casey had declined, Brooke had taken her up on the offer and was told to return to work whenever she was ready. Brooke wanted to give herself a week of relaxation before going back so she hadn't yet returned to the station.

"Cool, so you wanna grab a bite with me? I'm done with work for the day" She asked. Brooke didn't have to think twice about the offer. "Yeah, are you kidding? I'm so bored" She droned. Aside from going to her favourite archery range for the first couple of days, she hadn't had much to do, it seemed it was finally hitting Brooke that maybe she needed some more friends outside of Casey and her sister.

Ellie couldn't help but giggle at her sister. "Ok, you wanna meet me at Rosa's?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in ten"

"Alright, see you there Brookie"

They then disconnected the call. Ellie continued to walk, thankful that the rain had pretty much stopped with only a light drip falling here and there.

Rosa's was a quaint little bakery that was just down the street from their apartment. The inside walls were painted pastel blue. A few sets of tables and chairs were placed inside on top of pristine walnut floors. The counter that displayed some of the pastries the bakery offered was also painted a light blue, matching well with the colour of the walls.

As Ellie reached Rosa's, she saw that it wasn't that busy. Relieved by that, she entered and was greeted by some of the staff. She sat down at one of the tables, quickly glancing at the menu that was displayed on a blackboard behind the counter.

While she was deciding what to order, she hadn't realised Brooke had made it to the bakery. With her sister's back to her, Brooke decided to have a quick laugh with her sister. Quietly she snuck up behind her, careful to not make any noise, and then placed her hands onto Ellie's shoulders as she shouted.

"Boo!"

It was enough of a fright to make Ellie jump in her seat and let out a slight squeal. The sound caused practically everyone in the building to turn to the two sisters. While Brooke was laughing her ass off at her, Ellie blushed out of embarrassment.

"Brooke, that is not funny, you scared the shit out of me" Ellie tried to chastise her sister as she sat down across from her, still laughing. "Oh, but it is, just not if you're you" Brooke snickered.

Ellie shook her head. "Whatever, can we just order now, I'm starving" Brooke nodded and skimmed the menu briefly before deciding on what she wanted. "Know what you want?" She asked Ellie, receiving a nod back the two girls stood from their table to place their order.

The two decided to get the same drink, a simple hot chocolate but ordered different pastries. Ellie decided on a chocolate croissant while Brooke chose a cinnamon bun.

The girl working behind the counter passed the girls their pastries and made their drinks relatively quickly.

Drinks in their hands, they sat back down at their table. The girls munched on their deserts as they talked about any and everything. Ellie talked about the gallery's upcoming showcase and how Carol had been generous enough to let her, and the other employees for that matter display their own pieces in the exhibit.

"So what should I wear for the showcase?" Brooke then asked.

"What?" Ellie raised one of her brows as she took another sip from her drink.

"Well, I'm going, aren't I? I gotta support my big sister" She elaborated.

Ellie placed her hot chocolate down on the table. "No, no, no, you're not coming to the showcase" She objected. Brooke gasped playfully. "And why not? I have to be there, your art's getting shown off" She argued.

Laughter escaped from Ellie's lips. "Brooke, if you go, all you'll do is brag to everyone that you know one of the artists" She explained. Ellie knew she was right, whenever there had been an art show at school, Brooke would always be bragging that her big sister was the next Picasso or whatever other famous artist she'd picked to compare Ellie to.

Just as Brooke was about to argue back, with something about how she'd never done that, her phone began to ring. Pulling it from her jacket pocket, she could see Casey's name lighting up the screen, or as she had him nicknamed in her contacts Casey Voorhees.

"Yo, Jason, what's up?" She greeted, Ellie had to hold back a snicker. But Casey didn't seem that amused by the nickname.

"Hey, Brooke, you busy?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm at lunch with Ellie, so can whatever you're calling about wait?" She tried to be as polite as possible.

"No, cause April will kill me if I don't ask you, girls, this now" He replied, Brooke's interest was then peaked by his previous statement. She sighed. "Okay, just make it quick"

Ellie wasn't sure what Casey was telling her sister, but from the expression on her face, she could tell it was something slightly interesting.

Nodding at what Casey was saying, Brooke regretted not putting the phone on speaker for Ellie to hear as well. "So, do you girls think you'd wanna go?" He asked. "Yeah, sounds fun" She replied.

Brooke then ended her call with Casey, slipping her phone back into her jacket pocket and then looking back at Ellie. "So, what was that about?" She asked her younger sister. "Um, well, Casey or rather the turtles wanted to know if we would want to go down to the Lair for their hangout night, I think is what he said they called it" Brooke gave a quick run-through of what Casey had basically told her.

Ellie nodded, taking in what she had just been told. She didn't find it odd that Casey had been the one to relay the turtles' message to the girls, seeing as he was the only one who had any sort of communication with either of them.

The two girls paid for their pastries and headed for their apartment. As they entered their home, Ellie made a beeline for her room, wanting to tidy herself up before they were to head out to see the others. While Brooke plopped down straight onto the couch and flipped on the tv. Hoping something decent would be playing.

As Ellie brushed her brown locks, she couldn't help but find it weird that turtles had invited her and Brooke to the Lair for their own personal hangout night, as Casey had called it while on the phone with Brooke.

If she was being honest, both girls hadn't expected to see much of the turtles or April after the ceremony a week prior. In fact, Brooke had even mentioned to Ellie afterwards that she wouldn't but surprised if that was the last they saw or heard from them.

So to be personally invited by them, or instead by Casey who repeated that it was the turtles who wanted them there, was definitely a surprise.

Now finished with brushing, Ellie began to braid her hair. It was kind of her thing to do during the Autumn season, whereas, in Spring and Summer, she had her gorgeous locks down showing off her natural waves, in the colder seasons she'd often wear it up, either in a braid or sweet space buns.

Tying off the braid, she went to join her sister in watching the television, Brooke had found some random show that they were now stuck with watching, laughing at some of the comedic parts but mostly just sitting in comfortable silence together until it was around the time Casey said to be at the Lair.

Time seemed to fly for the girls as they watched one mediocre reality show after another until the time hit half past six, and they decided to see if they could indeed find their way back to the Lair.

Brooke had suggested they try to retrace their way to where they'd first met the turtles and go from there, so that was what they did. Of course, the walk from their quieter apartment street to the busier streets that surrounded TCRI was longer than either of them would've liked but neither wanted to take the subway, not trusting who would be lurking around there at night.

Turning down the alleyway where they'd first met the turtles, Brooke, as quietly as possible for her, lifted the manhole cover with ease almost like it weighed nothing. It always surprised Ellie just how strong her sister was.

Brooke went down first and Ellie followed close behind, making sure to drag the cover back on top of the manhole. Water dripped from above thanks to the downpour earlier in the day as the girls strolled through the tunnel.

The sewer grates that were scattered against the walls served as almost a window into the outside, possibly one of the only ways the four brothers had to view the outside world from inside the sewers.

Able to see the large circular entrance they both shared a look before walking in. Sounds of laughter and joy echoed through the Lair as they walked further into the main area.

"There they are!" A feminine voice then caught their attention.

The girls then, simultaneously, turned their heads to the left slightly and saw April, Casey and the turtles all hanging out in the kitchen area of the Lair. Unsurprisingly, Brooke was the first to walk over to them, Ellie about a beat behind her.

April hopped up from her seat to greet them whilst all the boys remained seated. Being a few inches shorter than both of them, April subtly craned her neck up in order to look at them.

"Good to see you two made it, we were starting to worry you got lost" She laughed as she returned to her seat. Ellie and Brooke followed, both pulling out a chair and plopping down next to one another.

The guys, aside from Mikey, didn't move from their seats but still greeted them from where they sat. Mikey was the exception, the youngest brother practically leapt from his seat in order to embrace the two sisters.

Given his much larger physique, he was able to wrap one of his arms around the girls each. The two sisters laughed as Mikey squeezed them, lifting them off the ground slightly.

Leo, seeing just how tightly his younger brother had his arms wrapped around them, attempted to get him back into his chair. "Alright Mikey, that's enough, don't suffocate them" The orange-clad terrapin rolled his eyes at his older brother but did as he was told and loosened his hold on the girls.

Leo turned to them. "Thanks for coming, you two"

"Thanks for having us, it was definitely a shock for us" Brooke replied for the both of them.

"Shock?" Mikey chimed in.

Brooke nodded. "Well, after the ceremony, the both of us sorta came to the conclusion that we wouldn't be seeing any of you after that" She confessed, glancing at Ellie, receiving a nod from her older sister.

Everyone else understood where the girls were coming from, but if truth be told, they had thought it would be the two girls who wouldn't want anything to do with them after that night.

That was mainly why Casey had been the one to call them, also because he was the only one with either of the girls' numbers. No one had expected them to agree to show up so when Casey had informed them about the sisters' agreement to show up, it had certainly taken them all by surprise.

"Well, there's another reason why we wanted you girls down here" Leo then spoke, drawing both girls' attention to him. Giving the blue leader their attention, the two girls waited for him to continue.

Leo cleared his throat before continuing. "Well, first off we wanna thank the both of you" He explained. The two sisters shared the same slightly confused expression. "Thank us? For what?" Ellie meekly inquired.

"Helping us" Leo stated, as if it should've been common knowledge to them. "You know how many people would've simply left us to deal with Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady on our own?" He then asked, rhetorically.

His question did make the two sisters think for a minute. He was right. New York had millions of residents and there was little doubt in either of the girls' minds that most inhabitants of the Big Apple wouldn't have assisted the turtles like they had or not even be frighted by the tall and robust terrapins.

"You two helped us, so we owe you both for that" Leo acknowledged.

Again, Brooke and Ellie exchanged another puzzled expression. "Uh, we-we really didn't do all that much" Ellie admitted, speaking mainly on her behalf.

April scoffed. "Didn't do that much? Come on, give yourselves some credit" She protested.

The two sisters simply nodded at April's words before another conversation quickly picked up amongst the group. Many questions were asked throughout the night, most were aimed at the girls courtesy of April and the turtles. Slowly prying information about the sisters out of them.

At some point, questions about their careers came up. Brooke sort of brushed off the query shortly explaining her current employment situation before the inquiry moved to Ellie.

"I'm an art curator" Ellie simply stated, not thinking much of her position. In contrast to everyone else around her. "And an artist" Brooke then added on her sister's behalf.

Ellie's lips thinned after Brooke's mention of her being an artist. While she was one, she didn't classify it as her job. Though that was mainly because she thought she wasn't good enough to be considered one.

Hearing that one of their new allies was an artist the turtles, especially Mikey, seemed intrigued by the notion. "Oh, can we see some of your art?" Mikey asked enthusiastically, leaning across the table to Ellie.

Seeing the pleading expression that covered his features, Ellie breathily sighed and dug her phone out of her pocket. Swiping through her gallery, she looked for a semi-decent piece that she could show to the eager orange-masked terrapin.

Settling on one of her more recent creations, an orange and yellow lifelike sunset painting that was practically glowing, she slide her phone across the flat surface towards Mikey.

Picking up the phone that looked laughably small in this large green hand, Mikey looked over the artwork that was displayed on the miniature device. On his left, Raph also leaned over slightly to view the image.

Even from across the table, Ellie could see their eyes widen at what they were seeing. "Wow, impressive" Raph spoke, the corners of his mouth curled up subtly.

Mikey had a much louder and more ardent reaction, as opposed to his older brother. "Impressive? More likely otherworldly" He raved, flipping around the phone to show everyone else around the table the painting.

Now with everyone gazing upon her work, Ellie slinked back into her seat slightly. Leo, Donnie and April commented on her artistic skills, occasionally questioning Ellie on her talent.

Mikey, still in awe of what he had seen on her phone, then announced. "You should paint something in here" The orange-clad terrapin proclaimed.

His request took Ellie, and everyone else at the table, aback. She hadn't done many commissions for people, and the ones she had done were mainly for family members. So to be asked, or more accurately have someone demand that she did some artwork for them, was well beyond expected and even somewhat flattering.

Quickly, Ellie tried to refuse Mikey's offer and change the current conversation's subject away from her and onto something else. But the youngest terrapin refused to be easily brushed off. So he upped his beseeching.

"Please Angelcakes, do it for me" He persisted. Mikey pulled his best-begging expression with a pout and pleading eyes.

Raph appeared to be slightly annoyed by his younger brother's loud antics. "Please just say yes to shut him up" He quipped, glancing across the table to Ellie.

With everyone now looking at her, Ellie blushed and shifted in her seat out of embarrassment as Mikey continued with his begging for her to paint a mural somewhere in the Lair. His crystal blue eyes were adorably wide and they held a pleading look which Ellie could tell that he likely wouldn't halt his begging until she gave into his demand.

"Okay fine" Ellie consented. "Can we move on please" She begged, burying her face behind her hands. A few chuckles erupted from around the table following Ellie's bashful agreement.

The group of eight didn't move from the kitchen area. Everyone binged on mainly pizza and sodas while just talking, laughing and even trading back the occasional quip. Acting like a group of friends who had known each other for years, when they were nothing of the sort.

No one at the table had to say a word, but they all knew the outcome of tonight. The once quintet of four mutant turtles and their one human ally had expanded into an octet in a matter of only a few days. And their three new members had absolutely no idea of the chaos that they had now been sucked into.