Epilogue

It had been 4 months since Karai's vengeance had turned their lives upside down, but it finally seemed they were turning a corner. Now the leader watched his family move around the lair preparing for a movie night. The recovery of Leonardo's family had been painfully slow, but they were finally healing, and normality was slowly returning to their lives.

Donatello had patches of discoloured skin where the worst electrical burns had occurred, but was otherwise physically recovered. It was the mental recovery that worried Leonardo. His brother was improving every day but still showed a dislike of loud, screeching sounds. Thankfully, he seemed to have made some peace with what happened to him and was no longer blaming himself for what happened to Michelangelo.

The orange masked turtle had suffered with a serious flu for a couple of weeks after his exposure to the damp and cold but had ultimately regained the feeling in his limbs he had lost in the freezing conditions. Unfortunately, Michelangelo had no chance of his plastron healing and a straight groove now cut horizontally across it. His shell had suffered similar damage and a few shallow holes could be found around the edges of it. Leonardo was just glad they hadn't gone any deeper into his brother. It hadn't taken too long for Michelangelo to bounce back from his experience but he did suffer from nightmares more frequently and his dislike of enclosed spaces was quite pronounced.

It was fine though, they were getting better. They would get through this.

Raphael had spent a couple of weeks on bed rest following the lengthy battle he endured and now had a large scar on his side where he had been hurt. It didn't seem to bother the Ninja in the least, but it bothered Leonardo. It was he who had come up with the plan that put his brother in harm's way.

From his seat in the kitchen, Leonardo saw the lair door open revealing April, Casey and Chaplin for movie night. As always, April and Casey were a constant presence in their lives and had provided a lifeline of support during the past few months as Leonardo struggled to care for his injured family. The blue masked turtle was surprised when Chaplin had kept in contact with them. With the Foot no longer interested in him, the scientist had managed to find a new job working for a technology company in the city. Leonardo had thought the scientist might cut ties with anyone connected to his old life and start fresh but Chaplin regularly chatted with Donatello and April about science and it wasn't uncommon for the three to hang out in April's apartment. They had also discovered he had a first name; Zachary. Although, Michelangelo continued to call him 'Doc'. Overall, Leonardo was glad he had kept in touch. He had been invaluable in defeating Karai and had helped support his family as they recovered becoming a good friend, particularly to his purple masked sibling.

"Hey Leo, we're about to start the movie!" announced Michelangelo sticking his head around the corner to the kitchen

"On my way" replied the leader fondly as he left his mug in the sink and went to join his family.

Whenever Leonardo had any doubts about what had happened to Karai, it was things like this that made it worthwhile. That justified his actions.

Seeing them playfully bickering over who got to sit where and what movie to watch filled Leonardo with warmth. That warmth dimmed slightly, when he saw the empty armchair.

Master Splinter's recovery had been particularly difficult, mostly due to the extent of the injuries and his reluctance to accept their help. It had taken four months for him to heal, but even then his movements were much slower and stiffer than usual. It was clear to all of them that he was in pain both physically and emotionally. Karai's mistreatment of him had left more than one mark. It was impossible to not notice the large scar that curved across his chest or the pained expression when he put too much pressure on a previously broken bone. Mercifully, his fur had grown back and mostly covered the tattoo on his arm though they often saw Splinter glancing at the limb angrily. Perhaps the most startling change had been their Fathers personality. He seemed to have shrunk in on himself and became quieter than he usually was. Leonardo had asked him to meditate with him multiple times, but Splinter seemed to have lost all enjoyment for the activity and refused most of the time. They had all tried to pull him out of the darkness he was hiding in, but every attempt saw the rat pulling further away from them.

None of them were surprised when he told them he was leaving for a while. He said he was going to Japan to visit the Ancient One, and hopefully find himself again. Neither Leonardo nor his brothers wanted Splinter to go. They knew he was hurting and were desperate to help him, but they didn't want to make him feel any guiltier for going either. They promised him they would be fine, they showed him how to work his shell cell multiple times and they waited at the dock with him until his boat left. In truth, they were all worried about him. Leonardo knew first-hand how hard it could be when you didn't feel right, and if spending some time alone would help Splinter recover he was happy to support him. Besides, Leonardo felt better knowing he would be with the Ancient One, even if he did feel a pang of sadness every time he saw his Fathers empty seat.

"Yo Leo, you gonna stare at the couch or sit on it?" called Raphael, dragging Leonardo out of his thoughts.

Yes, things were different. Both good and bad. As long as they were all still here, that was what mattered the most.

Leonardo knew now how it feels to lose everything, he also knew that he would do anything to protect them. That alone gave him strength and focus. He had always though Karai was similar to him in many ways and now he understood how different they truly were.

A/N - So we've reached the end! This story is nearly 57000 words and is the biggest story I've ever written. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story and made it to the end! Please let me know if you've enjoyed this story! I will now focus on finishing my other story Broken Line and maybe add a few chapters to Explanations!