Holy cow guys. it's the final chapter! I seriously can't thank you all enough for all the support you've given me. It has made writing this story incredibly rewarding. I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments section! Thank you all 3

It had been six months since the nightmare.

Raph winced as he bumped the stairwell railing, causing shooting pain through his side. He hadn't adjusted well to losing his eye. It was all Donnie could do to save his life after so much shrapnel had pierced his body. Raph knew that. But since his anger and grief had nowhere else to go, it was usually directed at the purple turtle.

He knew it wasn't fair to Donnie, but the lack of emotion from him when Raph antagonized him drove the red masked turtle to the breaking point.

Holed up in his lab for weeks at a time, the purple turtle only emerged when caring for his brother's injuries.

Somehow he had managed to save their lives, but not without a great cost.

Leo's wounds had been the most severe, causing Donnie many sleepless nights, monitoring his condition. With time his plastron and burns would heal, but his eyes… Leo would never see again.

Mikey had fallen into a coma, his body rejecting the cold reality of losing his Master and his arm. Donnie had managed to stave off infection and Mikey's severed limb began to heal. However, when he finally woke, he hadn't uttered a word.

That was over three months ago.

Angrily Raph headed towards the dojo, trying to relieve his anger by beating on his punching bag. It wasn't until he came to the doorway that he stopped. His fists clenched, shaking, at his sides.

Master Splinter.

Donnie had told him what their master had done. How there was nothing they could do. How his father had said he loved them.

Angrily he wiped his eye, as silent tears broke free.

It made no sense!

Leo never left his room, Mikey was a silent doll and their master was dead! How could Donnie be so cold? How could he not CARE?!

The raw emotions that had been pent up in Raphael came spilling out. If he couldn't punch his punching bag, he would find the next best thing.

Bursting into Donnie's lab, the red turtle's gaze whirled around the room, looking for his purple brother. In his mad haze, Raph's sight fell on the silent portal, still painted with flecks of dried blood.

Raph focused on the flaking red splotches. This portal…this THING had destroyed their lives. It had taken everything from him and it was still standing, mocking him with the dried blood of his loved ones still on it.

With a bellow of fury, Raph picked up the nearest thing and hurled it at the portal. The beaker smashed against the portal's frame, the glass tinkling to the ground. Raph whirled and grabbed Donnie's chair. With a yell he threw it at the control panel, causing several wires to knock loose and spark.

Raph went on to destroy Donnie's lab in the process of breaking down the portal, finally finding a rusted pipe that he used to savagely beat the machine. Angry tears streamed down his face as all his frustrations, fear, and guilt came down with each blow of his weapon.

Finally, worn out, the pipe dropped from Raph's exhausted hands. The portal nothing more than bits of twisted metal and sparking wires. Falling against the wall, he let his carapace slide until he sat on the floor beside Donnie's desk.

His breath still ragged, Raph looked at the mess of notes and journals littering the ground. How was he going to explain this to Donnie?

Starting to feel guilty, Raph moved to push up from the ground to clean the mess, but one piece of paper caught his attention. Unlike the others, written in Donnie's cramped mechanical style, this one looked as if it was written with shaking hands.

Still sitting, Raph gingerly picked it up, noticing strange splotches blotting some of the words.

Silently he began to read.

My brothers,

I don't know how you can ever forgive me for the pain and suffering I have caused you.
Please believe me when I say I never meant for any of you to get hurt. I never meant for any of this to happen. I am so sorry. God I am so sorry.

If you are reading this, then I have gone back to the Shredder's dimension. Please don't follow me. All of this is my fault and I'm going to set it right. I have to. I know I have no right to ask, but please, wait for me.

I love you.

- Donnie

With the realization of what he had done, Raph's shaking hands let the letter fall. His vision blurred as tears of hot shame fell down his cheek.

"Donnie"