Author's Note: Well, this is the last chapter. My apologies for the extreme lateness with this last update. I just hope that it is worth the wait. Thank you for being so patient with me.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Ghost of Kauai

Dr Aquel anxiously fingered the handle of her suitcase as she watched her taxi slowly park beside the reception area of the campsite. With a little sigh she stood up, grabbed her bags, and greeted the driver when he came around the back of the car to open the trunk for her. As the man took care of her belongings, Andrew Walker solemnly stepped out from the reception building.

"So you're really leaving?" he asked Aquel one more time.

"Filming has finished," was her simple reply.

"Just because we organised an interview doesn't mean that we can't release a documentary at a later date," Andrew pointed out.

"It takes years to make a documentary. I agreed to stay on for the short term project, not the long haul," Aquel clarified with a sympathetic tone.

"I see," Andrew murmured, eyes downcast. Susan waited a few moments, almost hoping that he would bring up another reason for her to stay. He did. "And what about the turtles?"

"For now, we've done everything we can for them."

"But what about Diana and the baby? Someone needs to record all of the uncollected data concerning their birth and hatching in a scientific manner," Andrew hinted.

Aquel paused for a moment, wondering if she could bait him into giving a direct answer. "I suppose a new job position has opened up for a scientific researcher and behavioural analyst?" she assumed with a small smile and yet there was an allusion of hope in her voice.

"There is now," Andrew solemnly said.

There was her long awaited answer – at least as clear as it was going to get. Andrew wasn't solely interested in having someone help him when it came to dealing with all of the problems, both legal and scientific, surrounding the mutant turtles living in the National Park. It seemed he just wanted her to stay and was willing to organise just about anything to make that happen.

At forty-three years of age, Susan Aquel had given up all hope of starting a family years ago. She was always at heart a scientifically minded individual, who relished being relatively in control of her life. To abandon everything - such as her long career at the zoo, her fellow work colleagues in zookeeping, and the familiarity of the city of New York - in order to dive headfirst into a relationship where she would be forced to hopelessly submit to her sometimes illogical feelings, greatly terrified her. She had always longed for it deep in the core of her soul, however she had merely decided that it was the forever-elusive ideal that appealed to her, and that reality was far more unattractive. Too fearful of permanent change, her mind reasoned that she would prefer to have an unrequited love story, than to act out what could possibly end up being a painful experience.

"New York is my home," Aquel uttered suddenly. Her heart felt like it had been deflated as her rational, defensive instinct took over like always.

Andrew seemed shocked by her answer at first, but then he gave her an understanding nod. He started to feel foolish for ever thinking that a New York woman like her would give up everything in order to spend more time with him.

"In that case, it has been a pleasure working with you," Andrew said, holding out his hand. Aquel gratefully shook it. "You will be sorely missed," he added.

"It has been a great experience," Aquel sincerely said. They both suddenly felt awkward.

"Well, I shouldn't hold you up any more. Have a safe flight!" Andrew said as a farewell, taking a few steps back towards the reception building.

"Thank you!" Aquel said with a forced smile. Deep inside, she didn't want to leave at all even though she knew those feelings weren't really logical. Even as the taxi started to drive up the pebbled driveway, she envisioned herself begging the driver to stop, only to run back to Andrew, asking for forgiveness for what she had just said to him. Of course, that was something that only happened in the movies, and she mentally berated herself for dreaming up such foolish fantasies. She had to go back to New York – it was the most sensible thing to do. Naturally she could always return, especially to do the IVF procedures, but right at that moment, her job at Kauai was over.

When she boarded her plane later on that afternoon, she still couldn't shake the feeling that she was tearing herself between two worlds. As the aircraft took off, she suddenly wished she had done the melodramatic thing and jumped out of that taxi…

Five and a half months later…

The first outward sign was a little hairline crack along the eggshell's surface. Then the egg wobbled ever so slightly within the confines of the solar-powered incubator. Yet, as it was unusually hatching in the middle of the day, it wasn't a surprise that there were no excited murmurs from fellow family members. The turtles were much too busy for that.

"See the bulb of this plant?" Leonardo asked the little yellow-wearing turtle. It brought a smile to his face when he witnessed an eager nod of recognition from Iris. Over the past few months, her interest and concentration in her ninjitsu studies had increased greatly, much to Leo's surprise and delight. The girl had matured, even though she still caved in to her free spirit from time to time, still wandering off on jungle expeditions. Some less observant people would label Iris' new spark of interest to be derived from sibling rivalry. But Leonardo knew better. While Iris still wanted to challenge Gabriel in the future, her motivation wasn't out of jealousy, but rather respect. She worked harder everyday in the hopes that sometime in the future, she would at least stand half a chance against her most worthy and exciting opponent.

Leonardo spun the uprooted plant in his palms before handing it over to Iris so that she could have a closer look. "The bulb is the most toxic part, especially to humans. One shot from a dart lined in the bulb's juices will send someone to hospital for a few days," Leo explained. Regretting the fact that he hadn't taught Iris about the more serious potions earlier, Leo now made a point to continue in introducing her to more and more deadly natural remedies. Thankfully it was a lot easier to teach Iris now due to her more eager disposition.

"Hey Leo!" Mike suddenly called out. Leonardo turned to stare at him, only to realise that Diana was nearby as well with a kama in each hand. "How much longer are you going to be?"

"Give me fifteen minutes."

"If you don't mind, can I train Diana today?" Mike asked. Curious, Leo shifted his gaze to his daughter.

"Don's sparring with Raph and Mum is training with Gabriel, so I thought I could spar with Mikey," Diana reasoned.

"If you're feeling up to it, I don't see why not. Facing up against another opponent might get you to stop freezing up in battle," Leo analysed. Although the new plans had wrecked his lesson outline for the day, he was still happy the clan was starting to work as one unit once again – everyone helping everyone else out.

"I want to spar against you with your nunchucks!" Diana eagerly suggested. Mike looked baffled.

"Nunchucks? Why not my tonfas?"

"You told me you were the Nunchuck King," Diana didn't answer his question, but instead referred to something he had boasted about previously in life.

"He's no Nunchuck King."

"And what do you know about nunchucks, Leo?" Mike only gave him a second to reply before continuing. "Nothing! Just as I thought!"

Leonardo simply shook his head, had a little chuckle and then returned to his lesson with Iris.

"Please Mikey!" Diana asked again.

"You sure you're up for it? You'll have to be quick on your feet," Mike worried, gesturing towards her once injured leg. Diana's gunshot wound had healed quite well, although there was some scarring.

"Not if I disarm you in the first five seconds," Diana boldly challenged.

Mike scoffed. "You're on!"

Before either of them could even move, a tender welcome drifted in on the breeze. "Hello!?" Andrew called out as he plodded through the forest towards the turtles' lair. "I come in peace!" he added as a joke.

"In order to pass, you must offer a sacrifice!" Mike yelled back.

"I brought some chocolate-chip cookies!" was the instant reply.

"Good enough," Mike said with a smile as his long-time friend got even closer. It was then that he noticed that Andrew hadn't come alone. "Hi Susan!"

"Hi Michelangelo," Aquel said. It ended up that she was only in New York for a week and half. She had lasted a few days before she felt the desire to give Andrew a telephone call. Naturally she used the excuse that she wanted to check up on the turtles, but their conversation quickly drifted from the topic of work, much to both Susan and Andrew's delight. After phoning him three consecutive days in a row, Aquel could no longer lie to herself and to Andrew. Taking up his still-valid offer to stay in Kauai, Aquel arranged to move interstate, saying farewell to her friends, family and her New York city apartment. After closely working together for another month, Andrew – after being on the receiving end of many of Mike's pep talks – finally gathered the courage to ask Susan out on an official date. From then on, they still remained in a relationship.

"Everyone's fine," Mike answered before the scientist could even ask.

Aquel grinned. "Yes, I'm always here for work reasons. Sad, isn't it?" she commented with a pout. "So Venus hasn't had any complications?" Given that Diana's egg was due to hatch any day, Don, Venus and Leo decided to go ahead with their idea of using IVF in order to start passing on Don's genes; the concept of which had been pre-approved moths ago in order to combat the new Conservation Laws surrounding their species. Susan knew that the procedure was successful, however there were some aspects that still concerned her.

"No, she seems to have recovered from the anesthetic quite well. I think we're all quite used to it, unfortunately," Leonardo said, finally deciding to give up on Iris' lesson due to all of the interruptions.

"I double-checked all of my data. The baby should be a healthy girl," Susan reconfirmed. Before the IVF procedure, there was a quick debate between the adults of the clan as to whether they should choose the gender of Don and Venus' child. All the turtles did feel somewhat uneasy about being so scientific about the choice between male or female, but in the end the main reason why they decided to go ahead in making the baby a girl was because Donatello was rather uncomfortable with having another son. Naturally, they couldn't give that reason to the two researchers, so instead they told them that having another female would be beneficial to their gene pool. It seemed that no matter how close they became to their human friends, Morpheus would always be a secret within the turtle clan.

"You should remind Don then that the gender's based on genes, not the temperature," Leonardo murmured.

"Yeah, he's been paranoid over that incubator, wondering if it's the right temperature and whatnot," Mike agreed with Leo's irksome sentiments.

"I'll see to it that I will," Susan said with an amused smile across her face. "So the egg's still okay?" she said as she walked over to the old, solar-powered incubator.

"It's still there," Mike stated the obvious.

"Oh my…"

"What?"

"I think it's hatching!" Aquel exclaimed.

"Get Raph!" Leo instructed Mike. The blue-wearing turtle then went on his own search to hurriedly find Venus.

As Diana, Iris and the two researchers anxiously observed the hatching egg, Mike sprinted down one of the clan's forest pathways. Knowing how excited he was when he witnessed Iris' hatching, Mike completely understood the importance of being in the presence of this life-altering event. He had a rough idea of where Donatello and Raphael were sparring, Thankfully his first guess was correct.

Raph and Don were completely immersed with their rough sparring session. "Raph!" the red-wearing turtle heard his uncle from afar. The teen stopped for a split second, allowing Don the opportunity to strike him hard on his right bicep with his heavy bo. Raphael flinched.

"Don't get distracted!" Donatello wisely reminded his pupil the rules of combat.

"Give him a break, Don," Mike puffed as he finally reached his two family members. "He's almost a father. It's hatching!"

Raphael almost dropped both of his sai in surprise. For some reason the moment felt so surreal – the day that he had been waiting for for months had finally arrived and now he couldn't believe it. Donatello had also been nervous about this day. All three of them sprinted back to the lair with weightless legs as though their mind was running for them. With Leo finding Venus and Gabriel, now the entire family was staring at the contents of the incubator.

A small fraction of the shell wiggled, lifted and dropped, as the baby inside tried its best to kick its way out. Diana looked on forlornly as she instinctively wanted to help, but thankfully for the well being of her newborn, she restrained herself. While months ago she wasn't keen on having a child, after going through the trouble of laying the large egg, she couldn't help but feel a strong connection to her arduous investment. Catching Raphael's contagious level of excitement, for the past month Diana thought of nothing but holding her baby in her arms. Now that moment was finally about to arrive.

At first there was a toe. Then a leg. While Diana and Raphael continued to look on with loving interest, Donatello held a horrified expression. Something was wrong. Thoughts of Morpheus' mutated body occurred to him as he observed the newborn's oddly pale skin. Then parts of the shell could be seen. It was yellow in coloration, not the strong dark gray carapace that a hatchling's usually was. By now, except for the two parents, everyone else held a worried expression. Eventually the little turtle pushed itself out of the confines of its eggshell completely, confirming everyone's fears.

It wasn't normal. Not a patch of green could be seen anywhere on the baby's little body. With pale blue eyes, the skin was an off-white colour while the shell was a strong yellow. Donatello could hardly believe what he was seeing – the fears Diana had months ago about having an abnormal child had unfortunately come true. No one spoke as they stared at the little hatchling that stared back at them.

It was Diana that broke the heavy, awkward silence. "She's beautiful!" the teenage mother gasped. She instantly reached forward and picked up her long-awaited baby, cradled it in her arms, then turned to Raphael to gladly show him. Don watched on, as though the teenage couple were in a little world of their own, completely oblivious to the flaws in their child. That's when Don decided to quell his prejudiced reaction and fears by taking a closer look himself.

Diana was correct – the hatchling was definitely female. The little girl had two toes on each foot, and three digits on each hand. The eyes were clear, bright and alert, while the breathing seemed natural and not labored. Apart from the lack of pigmentation in the skin, the child was otherwise completely healthy and indeed, in some ways, beautiful.

"It's albino," Susan Aquel whispered in disbelief. It really shouldn't have shocked her since she already knew that both Diana and Raphael were heterozygous for albinism. Therefore there was a one in four chance of the offspring lacking melanin. What surprised her was that it confirmed her fears that Dr Yesmal really didn't check the genetics before artificially inseminating Diana. Or maybe he did and this was one of his ways of getting his revenge? If that was the case, then it didn't work, as by judging Raph and Diana's faces, the parents ultimately didn't care what their daughter looked like. They loved her regardless.

Bliss was named within the hour, called after the mythological granddaughter of the Roman goddess of love, Venus. By that time she had been cradled in the arms of everyone and Aquel had performed a quick health check up. While Bliss currently seemed contented in tugging on Raphael's red bandanna tails as he held her proudly in his arms, Leonardo coerced Don, Susan and Andrew away from the rest of the clan so that future matters could be discussed. "So what does this mean?" Leo openly asked.

"Well, she's albino. Not a true albino since there's some pigmentation in Bliss' eyes. It's interesting because we haven't mapped your genome yet, and now it's obvious that the albinism gene is linked to the skin, not necessarily with the eyes," Susan gave her hypothesis.

"Leucistic?" Don suggested, referring to some albino-like colorations found in other animals.

"Possibly. I'll have to run a few more tests."

"So is that good?" Leo was starting to feel a little left out with all of the scientific talk.

"Well, hopefully she won't develop any eyesight problems like what true albinos get. You'll have to make sure that her skin doesn't get damaged by the sun, but there's enough shade in these woods that you'll probably won't have to worry too much about that," Susan analysed.

"The world must never know about Bliss," Andrew suddenly interrupted after being silent for quite some time.

"Why?"

"An albino Yesmal's turtle – her shell would be worth more on the black market than you and Don's combined," Andrew solemnly warned.

"But what about the Environmental Laws and Endangered Animal Acts? Surely that'll-"

"That won't deter the hard-core poachers. For a creature that rare, they'll do anything," Andrew interrupted Don. Leonardo remained silent, knowing it was true.

"So what about the media? They know a baby is on the way," Don focused on the next problem. After the interview on 60 Minutes, other reporters from different television stations frantically offered their services. Andrew wisely handled all of the calls and turned each of them down; his aim being to let the media frenzy die before the turtles found themselves being overexposed in the multitude of interviews, franchises and YouTube parodies, much to Michelangelo's dismay. At first Andrew had thought differently, but after the first media extravaganza, Leonardo entrusted him with the knowledge about their past – specifically that surrounding Master Splinter and the Foot clan. Andrew quickly realised that eventually reporters would be too curious about the turtles' obvious ninjitsu origins and they may unintentionally discover the other mutants involved in their lives, or worse yet, reawaken some old, but still loyal Foot ninjas, possibly causing some members to reunite. So for most part Andrew played a delicate game of give and take – he gave the news about the future of the clan and their conservation efforts so that the reporters wouldn't dwell into the past. However, he was still determined to make a documentary, though that would take months to produce and edit.

"I don't know. Newspaper editors have been on my back for weeks. If I don't give them a photo of a never-before-seen infant Yesmal's turtle, then they'll send someone out here, and I can't exactly protect you guys from nature-loving photographers.," Andrew explained the problem.

"Then the egg never hatched," Leo thought of a lie.

"That's not fair on Susan and Andrew. Their work will be scrutinised by the scientific community. No doubt there'll be talks about whether they should get some other expert in to handle the genetics of our species," Don commented.

Susan's mind seemed to be in another place as she held a small smile on her face for some odd reason. "I just thought of something so crazy that it might actually work."

"I'm game. Let's hear it," Andrew encouraged out of the lack of other options.

"We hold them off for a few more months and send them photos of Don's child instead," Susan suggested.

"And pretend that Don's child was never born?"

"No, rather we use the same baby to represent both," Susan clarified.

"Would that work?" Don sounded baffled.

"I don't see why not. No one's ever seen a newborn of your kind before and no one knows the growth rate. We'll just change the bandanna and no one will notice the difference."

"We don't all look the same!" Don argued. There was a brief silence.

"Well I'll be honest. If you guys all took off your gear, I wouldn't be able to tell you apart," Andrew sheepishly admitted, starting to warm up to Susan's crazy idea. Then again it wasn't unusual for him to always take his girlfriend's side, causing the turtles to frequently joke about who wore the pants in the relationship. "I like the idea," he added, not that he would say otherwise. "But can we really hold off the media for another six months?"

"Zoo's do it all the time. It's rare for a zoo to release baby animal photos or even news of the birth until it's ensured that the infant will survive. With some species they're not on exhibit until a few months after," said Susan.

"And what do we tell them?"

"We'll just say that the hatchling is in a critical condition; the family is being protective; we've got a contract with some company and can't release any photos as that will breach it; we'll think of something to tell them," Susan explained.

"What do you think, Leo?" Don wanted his brother's thoughts.

"Leave it to Andrew and Susan. They know what they're doing," Leo answered, trusting his human friends.

"PINK?" Raphael exclaimed.

"I think pink would really suit her," Diana said as she cradled Bliss in her arms.

"Yeah, but pink?" Diana looked up to see Raph crinkle his snout and stick out his tongue to one side. It was obvious to her that he had some aversion to the colour. She giggled gently.

"You said that if it was a girl, then I could pick the colour of her bandanna. And what's wrong with pink anyway?" Diana cheekily argued.

"Well, it's just so… girly!"

"She is a girl."

"I know but… there are other colours."

"Such as?" Diana raised an eye-ridge.

"Uh, brown?" Raph accidentally said the first colour that came to his mind.

"Ew!"

"Well, I suppose I could accept mauve," Raph relented.

"Don wants mauve for his daughter," Diana informed him.

"He can't put colours on layby!"

"Yes I can!" Don interjected. The rest of the clan found the light-hearted petty argument to be terribly amusing. With Aquel and Andrew returning back to the campsite for the night, the turtles found themselves inexplicably drawn to the newcomer of the family. They fussed over Bliss for seemingly hours; holding her, watching her crawl and explore her new surroundings, even discussing her parents' thoughts about her. It was Iris who was curious to know what colour her little niece would one day wear.

"Bliss was born first, so she gets first pick!" Raph immaturely debated.

"I'll fight you for it," Don decided. Although it was threatened in a jovial manner, the usually passive turtle had taken Raph a little by surprise.

"Well if you want mauve that bad, then you can have it," Raph suddenly backed down. Although he made it sound like he wasn't terribly happy with the colour mauve anyway, Raph had really backed down because, after remembering his sparring session with his uncle earlier, he knew he would lose horribly. Donatello chuckled, knowing the real reason to his verbal retreat.

"Raph, go with pink. It will suit her," Venus gave her opinion.

"I thought it would be symbolic. You know, red and white combined?" Diana explained her choices more thoroughly. Raphael quietly watched his sleeping daughter in her arms.

"Alright," Raphael agreed. "If you like it that much," he said softly as he traced a finger along the underside of Bliss' tiny feet and toes.

"Thank you, Raph!" Diana said before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. At that moment Bliss woke up. She crinkled her face as though she was going to cry, but was suddenly distracted when Raphael continued to touch and play with her feet. She held a perplexed expression for a second, then grinned and kicked her little feet around, causing her dad to play with them more fervently.

Venus grinned at the sight and turned to Leonardo to see if he held the same expression. However he was no longer by her side or even watching the baby. Curious, she searched for her husband and eventually found him on the edge of the clan's home boundaries. He was just staring into the forest with his own mind as his sole form of entertainment. "You missed the cutest thing," Venus said as she approached him.

"I'm sure there'll be more moments," Leonardo sighed.

"Is something the matter?"

"I was just thinking of Bliss' future," Leo stated.

"I know not everything has gone to plan, but everything will work out in the end. Susan told me she was healthy and that's the best we could ever hope for, really," Venus remained optimistic.

"It's just… We try so hard and all we ever get is one problem after another," Leo admitted in defeat.

"But that's just life. Without problems we'd never appreciate the good times," Venus softly reminded him.

"It's also what makes life so interesting," Leo added, hearing all of the sayings and arguments before.

"What's really on your mind?" Venus asked, knowing that his thoughts ran deeper.

"How can I teach an albino to blend into the darkness of night?" Leo worried.

"Are you scared?"

"She's going to be hunted, Venus! Surely you must know that," Leo said, saying the fear that lurked within his mind.

"I do, and there's nothing we can really do about it," Venus agreed. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Just come," Venus enticed him with a little, almost sassy smile on her face. Intrigued by Venus' odd game, he followed. They meandered around the vine-covered trees that littered the forest, helped only by their sleek, moonlit outline. A thundering continuous roar could be heard in the distance. It grew louder as they traveled onwards and soon Leo guessed their destination. Venus had led Leonardo to the edge of the cliff. Below them was a fresh, turbulent river, powered solely by the impressive waterfall which could be witnessed on the other side. It was beautiful spot, even at night, though the location made him nervous as it was also a popular lookout point for many tourists.

"What if a human comes?" Leo voiced his concern.

"No one goes bush walking at this time," Venus reassured him.

"So what did you want to show me?"

"The river of life."

Leonardo was confused. "I think it's called something else."

"No, not that. I was using a… Now what is it called?"

"A metaphor?" Leo answered after some thought.

"Yes, that!" Venus confirmed. After all these years, there were still a few words in the English language that she still wasn't sure of. "Look at the river and how it flows, and how it will continue to flow until it merges with an entire ocean."

"But a person can control this river and build a dam," Leonardo counter-acted.

"Why are you building a dam?" Venus questioned his thoughts.

"Maybe I'm fearful of the rapid speed at which it flows," Leonardo murmured. "We're grandparents, Venus," Leo stated the facts.

"I feel old too."

"I suppose you're going to tell me that there's still more things to see, more to travel, just like this river, in that it keeps going?"

"You know me too well," Venus giggled. "I didn't know it would be so simple for you."

"No, no. I like the analogy," Leo admitted. "I wouldn't want to see a dam. It would destroy it's beauty, as fearsome as it may be sometimes," Leonardo sighed. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, as though he was trying to soak up the smells and sounds of the atmosphere.

"The most fearsome thing is to have no river at all," Venus said after a couple of moments.

"Sometimes I wonder how Silver is going. How he's coping – if he's even still alive," Leo pondered after Venus' last comment reminded him of their old zoo cellmate. "I guess his life is the sad alternative to ours. To be the last of our kind; just die out."

"We're just going to keep on going and see where it takes us," Venus summarised.

"Yeah," Leo said in agreement. Looking across the gorge, Leonardo suddenly noticed the flicker of a few flashlights. It seemed that there were indeed a few late bush walkers still plodding along the long, narrow tracks. It would still take a while for them to reach the lookout point where the two turtles were standing, but for some reason Leonardo was no longer paranoid about their presence. A year ago he wouldn't have taken the chance and would've darted into the forest as soon as he saw a human in the far distance. But these days they didn't have to worry; chances are the worst they'd do is take their photo, and even that was no longer a life-altering action.

"They look like Night Marchers from here," Leo humorously told Venus, finding their presence similar to that of the old Hawaiian urban legends.

"Don't they know that we're the new ghosts of the forest?" Venus said with a conniving grin.

"And Bliss will be the greatest ghost of them all," Leonardo said with nothing but determination in his heart. If Bliss was unable to blend with the forest's darkness, then she'd haunt it with the moon by her side. Mesmerised by the river below, he continued to watch as moonlit droplets twisted and swirled until the entire body of water seemed to be infected by its shimmering delight. In that moment, Leonardo was glad that Venus had brought him before the awe of the waterfall and the very origin of life itself.

THE END