Rating: PG (subject to change as the story progresses)

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: For months now, Mikey's been through hell with no one to count on but himself. But now that he's finally been rescued there's two problems; he's still desperately missing his family and he has no way home. No OC's. 2k3/2k12 crossover.

Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.

A/N: Just a couple of things you should know before you start reading the story.

This is the 2k12 side of 'And One to Grow On', however, you do not need to read 'AOtGO' itself to be able to read this one.

Also, technically, this story is a sequel. It's the sequel to 'Tsumetai' and '24 Days', two short one shots set a month and then about a week prior to this. 'Aftermath' is also the direct continuation after 'The Situation'. Again, you don't need to have read any of those first, as you will get the gist of what happened before as this story unfolds, however, you will likely gain more out of it if you do.

*Bounces excitedly* Check out the new fanart (story cover) created by the awesome Greys-Giovana over at Deviant Art. Check out the full sized pic http: (backslashbackslash) fav dot me (backslash) da7vxm1 *rolls eyes* Seriously ffnet? Even taking out dot written in brackets? What a pain! Alternatively, just search greys-giovana at Deviant Art. She has done a lot of fan art for the various 'AOtGO' stories :-)

AOtGO – Aftermath

Ch 1

Date : 18th Sept

Falling blindly from the glowing portal hanging in midair, Michelangelo landed roughly on his face onto coarse bitumen. He groaned softly from the stinging pain and slowly pushed himself back to his feet, staring all around himself in undisguised wonder at the open space, buildings and blessed cool night air surrounding him; all things which he hadn't seen or experienced in what felt like forever. The other three turtles, the ones who had saved him from the hellhole he'd been trapped in, were nearby. Staring curiously at their unfamiliar shells as they too picked themselves up, he noticed something in their movement, in their very postures, that spoke of desperation, of hopelessness, and Mikey wondered if it was due to the sacrifice of that turtle robot... or if it was because there was only three of them present, and if it was the latter... how would they react to his being there?

With a lonely pang deep inside, Mikey took a breath, savouring the first relatively fresh air without that awful recycled tang he'd been forced to breathe for months, and continued to stare forlornly at their shells. Much as approaching them under the circumstances scared him, he knew he had no choice. He was no longer a prisoner, but he was still alone and obviously so far from home that Mikey was sure he'd have had a much better chance of finding a way back if he was halfway across the galaxy or the universe instead. Glancing quickly again at the street around him, he knew he needed help... he needed them... so silently, he moved closer.

Once he was about two metres away, making sure he was out of immediate reach of those deadly sharp katanas, Mikey finally called out. He tried so hard to sound upbeat but instead, his voice came out quiet, exhausted even. "Hey, dudes."

The reactions of the other three were instantaneous. Raph and Leo whirled around immediately, weapons drawn, eyes wary yet challenging. Donatello turned around a little more slowly, and he didn't draw his weapon. Instead, Donnie tightly clutched at a squarish, metal head, and peering down at it, Mikey realised it must have been a part of that robot who'd helped free him and the rest of the prisoners.

Mikey tried to smile brightly at them, but even to himself, he knew it came out tentative instead.

"Just what we need, another mutant turtle!" Raph spat irritably, sai pointing menacingly in his direction.

"Hey, uh... thanks for saving me, guys." Mikey swallowed, eyes trailing to take in the appearances of each of the strange turtles in front of him.

Both Leo's and Donnie's eyes roamed all over him, studying him mistrustfully as they took in his appearance, and after the constant surveillance he'd been under since being captured, Mikey's skin crawled; it was all he could do to stop from cringing under their critical gaze. Raph however, just kept his eyes locked hostilely on his.

As he scrutinised Mikey, something approaching recognition suddenly seemed to dawn on Leo's face, and Mikey found his attention drawn back to him.

"Who are you?" Leo asked, confusion tempering his curiosity.

"Michelangelo," Mikey replied simply. He glanced back to Raph as the hothead started to splutter derisively. "But... I don't think I'm in Kansas any more, Toto."

"Who are you calling Toto!" Raph growled, readjusting his knuckle paling grip on one of his sai.

"That's not how that quote goes," Donnie muttered petulantly, even as his own gaze flickered back and forth between Mikey and the head gripped protectively in his grasp.

The corners of Mikey's mouth quirked up in vague amusement at being corrected, "I mean, I'm not in the right dimension," he shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "Well... either I'm not or you dudes aren't, buuut it's a safe bet it's me."

"How can you be so certain?" Leo asked suspiciously as Mikey fidgeted under his scrutiny.

"Turtle Luck," Mikey quickly quipped.

At the piercing looks from Leo and Raph, Mikey sighed and explained, "That building down the street there," Mikey pointed out with a slight nod towards it. "It was totalled a couple of years ago when the Triceratons rampaged Earth looking for the Fugitoid. Last I knew, they did start rebuilding but it was completely different to the original." He shrugged again.

Leo, Donnie and Raph exchanged quick looks before turning back to Mikey; they hadn't heard of either the Triceratons or Fugitoid before and wondered if they were something they needed to know about.

"You're taking being in the wrong dimension pretty well then," Leo observed warily, his weapons still at the ready.

Mikey chuckled humourlessly. "Been in other dimensions a few times now. At this point, it's almost like jumping from one rooftop to the next," he said. Then, more bitterly, he quietly added, "Besides, almost anywhere's better than that place..."

Before anyone could either comment on or ask what he meant, a car turned into the mostly dark street, headlights gliding to shine where the mutants stood, and all four quickly ducked out of sight into the nearby shadows. Once the vehicle moved on, Leo spoke up quietly again.

"You were in that Kraang prison?"

"... Yeah..." Safely ensconced in the shadows where he couldn't be easily seen, Mikey closed his eyes, wrapping his arms tightly around himself and wished for the comfort of his own brothers and father. "... For way too long, dude..." he added tiredly.

"How... how long were you held prisoner?" Donnie asked, swallowing as he still tightly clung to the severed metallic head in his arms.

Mikey hesitated.

"It's a simple enough question," Raph snapped, glowering in his direction.

"I... dunno, bro..." Mikey admitted reluctantly, suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that he really didn't know. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes but he fought hard against them. He hadn't broken down in front of his captors and he certainly wasn't going to break down in front of other-dimensional family he'd only just met. "I... think it was less than a year, it was months at least... but there was just no way to tell night from day there...

"They... I... I know I was taken in Winter though... late February... and I know I had to have been there for months before I broke my arm..." he continued quietly. Mikey began to feel cold and wrapped his arms even tighter around himself, rubbing slightly at them for warmth. "... That's since had time to heal... so..."

"Was that recently?" Donnie suddenly asked, peering curiously into the shadows where Mikey still hid.

"Yeah... they took the... the cast... off... I dunno, I'm guessing a week or two ago. It's hard to be sure."

"That would certainly explain the difference in the muscular build up between your left and right arms," Donnie nodded, his voice sounding more confident now he had something solid to focus on. "I noticed how your left arm muscles have significantly atrophied in comparison with..."

"Yeah, yeah, enough already Nerdatello," Raph interrupted impatiently as another car turned into the quiet street.

"There's no need to be so rude, Raph!" Donnie snapped, before quieting at a look from Leonardo.

The car soon slowed down to park, and two humans quickly hopped out before walking toward the neighbouring building.

"Let's get off the streets," Leo suggested softly, his sharp gaze tracking the movement of the pair as they reached the building entrance. Once they stepped inside, Leo turned to stare piercingly into the shadows where Mikey still stood, leaning wearily against the rough brick wall. "Will you be alright getting to the rooftops?"

"Yeah," Mikey nodded, determined. He felt way too exposed down here anyway.

"Good. We'll continue this conversation once we're safely out of sight," Leonardo commanded firmly, leading the way into the nearby alley.

Once they found a ladder leading up, Raphael began climbing first, with Mikey trailing slowly behind him at Leonardo's insistence; Leo and Donnie soon followed. It didn't take long for Raph to reach the top of the eight story building, where he immediately jumped to the roof and peered intently around the shadows and neighbouring rooftops. Once he was certain their surroundings were clear, he turned to motion Mikey up, only to make an impatient sound as he noticed the former captive still making his way up from two floors below. Mikey heard the impatience and flushed with embarrassment. He was simply too tired to move faster, especially with the adrenaline from the earlier fight quickly wearing off, but he bit his tongue and tried to speed up anyway.

A couple of minutes later, Mikey finally reached the top, only to be surprised by Raph's larger hand reaching down and gripping his wrist firmly, hauling him up and onto the roof of the building. Raph didn't look at him the whole time and immediately released him as if he burned once he was safely up.

"Thanks," Mikey murmured quietly, rubbing slightly at his wrist where Raph had gripped it too hard.

Raph grunted and moved away as first Leo and then Donnie also made it to the top.

Now that he had a better view of the world he'd landed in, Mikey stared at the city about him curiously, trying to see which of the landmarks he recognised, which were subtly changed and which were completely different. He soon drifted to the nearby parapet as Raph grabbed hold of Leo and Donnie, pulling them roughly off to the side.

Noticing this from the corner of his eye, Mikey allowed a tiny smile to surface and sat down on the edge, feet dangling over the side. He only hoped they wouldn't argue about him for too long.

-:-

"Don't tell me you believe his ridiculous story!" Raph hissed quietly as he kept a careful eye on the strange turtle.

"I think it's fairly obvious he came from the Kraang prison, Raph" Leo assured calmly.

"Not that part!" Raph snapped, struggling to keep his voice down. "Everything else!"

"We have long known the Kraang have conquered dimensional travel," Donnie spoke, also staring in Mikey's direction. He really didn't like how the other turtle sat balanced on the building's edge, not with how exhausted and shaky he'd looked merely climbing up the building. Donnie hugged the remains of Metalhead to his plastron. "His story is definitely plausible."

Raph rolled his eyes.

"Besides..." Leo muttered as if unsure, "he looks kind of familiar."

Both Raph and Donnie whipped their gazes to Leonardo.

"What do you mean?"

Leo sighed, "Remember that night a little over a week ago, when Master Splinter forbade us from going out to search for Mikey?"

Raph scowled at the unpleasant memory. He'd fought ferociously against Splinter's decision, even while knowing his reasons for one night of rest were valid ones.

"Unfortunately," Donnie replied.

"While I was meditating in the Astral Plain, my mind somehow connected with Mikey's, our Mikey, just for a moment," Leo reminded them.

"Yes, we remember," Donnie muttered impatiently.

"Just get to the point, Leo," Raph growled.

Leo nodded, "I will if the two of you let me. The other turtle I saw, the one that reminded me of me, looked a lot like him, at least as far as I could tell." Leo motioned his head towards Michelangelo and all three turned their gazes on the turtle claiming to be another version of their lost little brother. Michelangelo, as if he knew they were watching him, suddenly turned and stared longingly back, and the three brothers quickly averted their eyes once more.

"So you believe..."

"Maybe..."

"He can't have anything to do with what happened to Mikey!" Raph spluttered. "He said he doesn't know how long he was held for, but that it was months at least! Mikey's only been missing for one month!"

"One month and one day," Donnie corrected, earning an annoyed look from Raph. "It may not be directly related, they could just be similar in appearance," Donnie mused moments later.

Leo nodded. "Besides, the vision I had of the other Leonardo wasn't exactly clear. Mikey was in pain at the time and I'm pretty sure struggling to keep his eyes open. But with the amount of other dimensions that must exist, it wouldn't be a surprise to find more than one with other versions of us, whether they look like us, or look like him." He motioned towards the stranger again.

The three brothers looked over at the other turtle again, seeing that he was staring back out at the city once more.

"Been hitting Donnie's nerd books much?" Raphael sneered derisively.

"I don't have any books, nerd or otherwise, about dimensions and dimensional theory," Donnie protested loudly. "What I know about it comes from journals published online and then of course, there's my own theories largely based on our dealings with the Kraang."

"I don't need to have read anything, Raph. What I know comes from watching 'Space Heroes'. If you actually paid attention to it, you'd know at least that much too."

"Oh, here we go," Raph rolled his eyes again. "You know Leo, you've seriously got to stop using that lame show as a guide to leadership and life! It's utter nonsense!"

"While I do agree in general with you Raph, science fiction programs do tend to have a glimmer of truth or theory within them," Donnie offered, giving Leo support.

"See?" Leo said smugly, before frowning as he noticed Mikey beginning to slump where he sat. He didn't know this other turtle, but for some reason, he was already beginning to feel the need to protect him, as if he were one of their own.

Within moments, he found himself rushing over to Mikey, worried. Once he reached him, Leo placed his hand on the other turtle's shoulder, ready to grip harder should the worst happen and he lost his balance. "Are you alright?" he asked gently as Mikey started.

Mikey turned his head, dull blue eyes blinking languidly up into Leo's own. "Yeah, I'm really happy to finally be out of that place..."

"You don't sound too convinced," Leo observed wryly.

Mikey smiled slightly, "I'm just kinda cold and really tired, bro," he reassured quietly. Then he turned to face out across the city once more and muttered, "And I really wish I could go home..."

Home...

Though Mikey had spoken quietly, Leo, along with Raph and Donnie who had quickly followed their brother over, heard his words. The three looked at each other uncomfortably.

"You're welcome to come stay with us," Leo offered moments later, "it's not as if you have anywhere else to go..."

Mikey began turning wide blue eyes back to Leo when Raph burst out.

"Leo! He came from the Kraang! How the hell do we know he's not a trap?"

A faint smile flickered at the edges of Mikey's mouth and he chuckled tiredly, "Same old Raphie, no matter what dimension I end up in." The smile then faded, replaced by an expression of longing, "I'm not a trap dude, but I've got no way to prove it," he sighed, hoping that wouldn't mean Leo would rescind his offer.

"What did you just call me?" Raph twitched.

Closing his eyes against the sick feeling brought on by how tired he suddenly felt, Mikey just shook his head in mute amusement.

"I really don't feel he is," Leo insisted adamantly.

"Says the turtle who keeps trusting Karai, even when she herself said not to!" Raph snapped angrily. "I mean, come on! Forget looks, he doesn't even act like Mikey!"

"He's been held prisoner by the Kraang for god knows how long," Leo reminded Raph in exasperation, fixing his brother with a determined stare. "Give him a break!"

"That and he's from another reality where things are likely different," Donnie added, slipping into lecture mode. "It stands to reason that we could have led very different lives to each other, meaning he's been shaped by very different experiences to us."

Raph sighed and looked down at the physically and mentally battered turtle, seeing the slump to his figure. "Fine! We'll help you, but..." and here he shot a challenging look in Leo's direction, "while we'll give you somewhere to stay and recover, don't expect us to help you get home!"

Mikey opened his eyes again, turning his head to look up in astonishment at the sudden agreement from Raphael. It was what he wanted, yes, what he needed and hoped for in fact, but he really hadn't expected Raph to cave in so soon or easily. His own brother could be extremely pig headed and stubborn once his feet were dug in, almost impossible to convince to budge, so it stood to reason that this Raph's unusual capitulation took him by surprise.

Both Donnie and Leo looked uncomfortable with Raph's declaration but neither argued.

"Unfortunately, Raph's right," Leo agreed apologetically. "Our own Michelangelo is currently missing, has been for a month now, and finding him has to be our priority."

Feeling a surge of sympathy, Mikey nodded. He knew exactly what it was like to not know what happened to someone he cared about, his own recent experience not withstanding. For a moment, his mind flashed back to the day his own family had been scattered across the multiverse, to different worlds, times and dimensions; and to before that, to the day their injured father had vanished after an intense battle with Shredder. They'd searched for weeks, finding no trace of him. Yes, he knew exactly what this family was going through and no matter how much he wanted otherwise, he could never fault them for not helping him find a way home. "Fair enough, dude," he quickly answered. "Finding your bro is definitely way more important."

Both Leo and Raph relaxed upon hearing Mikey's agreement. "Right," Leo said suddenly. "Now that that's decided, we should get home. It's already after two am and it's been a very long night. Uh... Mikey... do you think you can make it jumping across the rooftops?" he asked, looking critically at the familiar stranger.

Mikey fought back a sigh and struggled to his feet; at this point, all he wanted was to sleep for a week in a warm bed.

Preferably his own; with his family watching over him and showering him with long denied attention and affection.

He wandered slowly to the edge of the roof in the direction the others indicated and stared out at the gaping chasms between the tall buildings and swallowed. For a moment, memories of falling, only to be suddenly caught by taloned claws filled his mind and at that moment, he knew he couldn't do it. He simply didn't have the strength or energy right now. Swaying slightly where he stood, he reluctantly shook his head. "Sorry Leo... but no..."

Leo gave a sharp nod. Having been right behind him on the ladder coming up, he'd noticed Mikey's shakiness as he'd climbed, not to mention the way his eyes kept drooping now. In fact, he was glad the other-dimensional turtle was at least honest about it. "Right! Donnie, you stay here and wait with Mikey, while Raph and I go get the Shellraiser."

And with that, Leonardo and Raphael split off, racing across their rooftop playground for home.

-:-

To be continued

A/N: While this story does take place in an AUed version of 2k12 continuity, rest assured, I will NOT be rewriting episodes to make up for the fact that one Mikey is gone and another is in his place. I don't normally enjoy stories like that, in fact it's a sure way to turn me off fast, and I wouldn't do it to you guys. There will however be brief references to said events as need be.

Please, let me know what you think, I don't bite XD Thank you everyone who has commented, faved or followed :-) I'll get around to fixing my emails so I can respond again soon...