A/N: This is it. The final chapter. Sometimes I thought I would never see the end. I want to thank all of you wonderful people who have read and reviewed, your reviews helped so much. They were inspiring.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Turtles. Never have, never will. I only own Rea and Ralph.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Dren asked.

"No," Tech replied.

"That's comforting," Donatello said flatly.

Happy stopped running and turned to face another hallway. The older mutants noticed and stopped as well.

"What is it, Raphie?" Michelangelo asked.

"Can you feel that?" Happy whispered.

"Feel what?" Donatello answered.

"That warm, fuzzy feeling," Happy replied.

Dren and Michelangelo glanced at each other. Donatello looked at Tech, who just shrugged.

"I feel her. She's down that hall," Happy announced.

"Feel who?" Donatello asked.

Happy took off down the dark hallway. With an irritated sigh, Tech bolted after his little brother. Dren, Michelangelo and Donatello took off after them.

"I sure hope, Splinter, Cal and Leo are having more fun than we are," Michelangelo said.

Back in the main chamber of the base, the floor gave way to a large vortex. The landscape of Central Park could be seen directly below.

"I sure wish we had our weapons," Leonardo whispered.

"Me too," Cal agreed.

"The weapon is not everything," Splinter told the twins.

"No. But they help," the boys said in unison.

"Once the vortex reaches full power we will be able to cross over into the outside world," Ralph told his faithful subjects.

"You won't get past the border."

Cal and Leonardo sprang from the shadows. Deceit pulled out her dagger and charged as well. Rage also joined the skirmish. Splinter blocked Ralph's path to the vortex.

"You will never see the other side."

"And you will never see the next sunrise, rodent."

Ralph swung his clawed gauntlet at Splinter's head. The ninja master ducked and jumped behind Ralph.

"This would be a lot easier if we had weapons," Cal yelled to Leonardo.

"Tell me about it," Leonardo yelled back.

He jumped out of the way as Rage brought his fist down. A crater was left in the floor. Leonardo gulped. Rage grabbed the back of his shell and threw him across the room. Ralph and Splinter stepped back as the blue-masked turtle went flying between. Leonardo crashed into a display case. He pushed himself up and shook his head. His attention was caught by something blue. Leonardo looked down. Lying a few feet away were his katanas. Breathing a sigh of relief, Leonardo picked up his swords and got to his feet. Rage stalked up to him. Leonardo spun his swords

"The odds just got better," he said.

"Those lousing toothpicks won't save you," Rage taunted.

"Maybe not. But, at least the fight's fair."

Rage swung at Leonardo. The turtle ducked and dashed around the human mountain. Rage let out a roar of anger. The room shook. Everyone flinched.

"Why did Hun have to represent rage?" Leonardo asked himself.

Before he could move, a large fist connected to his stomach. The air was forced out of his lungs. Leonardo dropped his swords and grasped his stomach and fell to his knees. He gasped for air. A sharp pain shot through his chest. He winced. A few ribs were surely broken. Ralph and Deceit detained Cal and Splinter in a matter of seconds.

"Inform Bishop that the mutants have escaped and tell him to search the building. I will not have these freaks destroy my one chance for freedom," Ralph said.

The hall somehow felt like it was leading them downward. The air was gradually growing warmer and more humid. It became difficult to breathe. Happy came to a stop at a large metal door. The older turtles stopped to catch their breath.

"This is it. They're behind this door," Happy announced, pushing on the doors.

Tech walked up and picked up his little brother. Donatello examined the doors. His fingers brushed up against a nearly undetectable keyhole.

"Looks like we'll need Happy's lock-picking expertise again."

Happy wiggled out of Tech's hold and hopped down to the floor. He took out the metal stick from his belt and stuck it into the keyhole. He moved the stick around until there was a *click*. The door opened and the turtles walked into the room. Cages lined the walls. Each cage held five or six humans. They appeared to be in a suspended sleep.

"So, this is what happened to the humans of this world?" Donatello asked.

"I thought Ralph just destroy them all," Tech confessed.

Happy ran over to one of the cages on the far side of the room. Two women and one man occupied the cage.

"Love."

The elder woman looked up with tired eyes and smiled at the child.

"We found you! We found you!" Happy chanted.

"You most certainly did," Mrs. Marson replied.

Her eyes fell on the two sets of twins behind Happy. Her smile grew wider.

"Dren and Tech. My, you two have grown a lot since I saw you last."

"It's good to see you, Mrs. M," Tech greeted.

"Have you boys seen Raphael and Rea?" Mrs. Marson asked.

Tech and Dren shook their heads. Donatello and Michelangelo quietly slipped away to inspect the other cages. A bigger cage stood in the corner. Donatello walked over to it to find that Leatherhead occupied the cage. A human child was in his arms. Stepping closer, Donatello noticed that it was Tyler. Michelangelo tapped him on the shoulder.

"Donny, there's something strange about these humans," he whispered.

"What do you mean?" Donatello asked.

"Well, just look at them."

Donatello gazed around the room. Other than the suspended sleep the humans didn't look strange. However, Donatello soon realized that they were wearing different colored clothes. A few humans he recognized as Purple Dragons and a number of Foot soldiers. Then, he saw Stockman and Chaplin. Stockman no longer had a robot body, but a normal human one. His lab coat was a dark shade of green, whereas, Chaplin's was a soft violet color.

"Green with Envy," Michelangelo noted, humor lacing his words.

A small smile crosses Donatello's lips. He turned back to the cage that held Mrs. Marson. The couple inside with her were April and Casey. But, Casey's shirt was navy blue instead of red, and April's shirt was a canary yellow.

"Who are they?" Donatello asked, nodding to April and Casey.

"Stubborn and Common Sense," Tech answered.

"Casey represents Stubborn, right?" Michelangelo asked.

"Naturally," Happy told him.

"Mrs. M, how did you end up here? I thought your safe house couldn't be detected," Tech said.

"Bishop followed the ill-tempered," Mrs. Marson replied.

"Raph?" Donatello guessed.

"And Stubborn and Reckless."

"Speaking of Raph, I wish he were here," Michelangelo said.

"Where is Raphael?" Mrs. Marson asked.

The room fell into an even heavier silence. The ninjas looked away.

"He's dead," Donatello answered through clenched teeth. "Deceit got him."

"What about Rea?" Mrs. Marson asked.

Happy's eyes filled with tears. His bottom lip began to quiver.

"Oh. I'm so sorry I asked."

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Marson," Donatello replied, his throat tightening as he fought back tears. "She died protecting Raph."

"She always said that was how she wanted to go," Mrs. Marson whispered.

"So, how do we get you out of here?" Michelangelo asked.

"I'm afraid you can't, Michelangelo," Mrs. Marson said. "Not while Ralph has that vortex opened."

"We have to close it," Donatello told the others.

"How?" Michelangelo and Dren pointed out.

Mrs. Marson closed her eyes as if she was concentrating on something. A small smile crossed her tired features.

"With hope," she instructed.

The white light vanished and it gave way to a dark hallway.

"We're back," Rea said.

Raphael looked around. Angel was gone, but she had sent them to a place not far from the main chamber. He headed for the door and opened it a tiny bit. He could see Leonardo, Cal and Splinter tied up and guarded by Rage. Ralph had opened a portal and it was growing by the second. Raphael turned to Rea.

"Your brother's making his great escape," he whispered.

Rea hurried over to Raphael's side and peered through the opening. Her eyes narrowed. Raphael saw two katanas lying a few feet away from the door. He opened the door a bit more. Luckily, Ralph and his pets had their backs turned towards him. Kneeling down, Raphael reached over and grabbed one of the swords. Leonardo caught movement in his peripheral vision. He only dared to move his eyes. He saw a dark green figure slip out of the shadows and grab one of the fallen swords. Leonardo took in a sharp, deep breath. A moment later, the figure emerged.

"Raph?" Leonardo asked himself in disbelief.

"The vortex is nearing full power. Prepare to decend," Ralph instructed.

He lifted his helmet up in a motion to put it on when a sword flew through the air and sent it flying out of his hands.

"What the?"

"Your flight's been cancelled!"

Everyone turned to face the door. Raphael and Rea emerged from the shadows.

"Impossible!" Deceit shrieked.

"What does it take to get rid of you?" Ralph roared.

"Whatever it is you don't got it," Raphael shot back.

"If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself," Ralph said.

"Bring it on," Raphael challenged.

Ralph grabbed the sword and charged. Raphael picked up the second sword and ran forward as well. Rea was left to face off against Rage and Deceit.

"We've got to help them!" Leonardo cried.

Rea dodged an attack from Deceit and side stepped to avoid Rage. She grabbed Deceit's wrist and twisted the dagger out of her hand. Rea grabbed the dagger and spun it. Before using it to defend herself, she wiped the blood off of the blade. The three captives could only watch helplessly as the two battles became more heated. Leonardo watched in horror as Ralph and Raphael edged closer to the vortex. Ralph swung the sword at Raphael's head. The turtle ducked around his adversary. He was only a few inches from the edge of the portal. Ralph noticed and an evil smirked crept across his face. He lunged forward.

"Raph! No!" Leonardo screamed.

Raphael stepped back, only to meet open air. For the second time since he was captured, Leonardo watched his brother disappear. Ralph jumped through the portal after him.

(Outside world)

The rain shot down from the clouds like hail stones. People dashed for cover, using their jackets or bags to protect themselves from the downpour. Casey, April and Splinter arrived at Central Park just as the vortex above finished growing. The windshield wipers shot back and forth rapidly across the glass.

"It's getting worse," April said.

Splinter closed his eyes as his ears perked up. He took in a sharp breath.

"I sense my sons are close," he announced.

"How close?" Casey asked.

Lightning flashed and seconds later a figure fell through the clouds. It was followed by another figure. Splinter opened the back door and climbed out of the Battle Shell. He ran to where the first figure fell. The trees bore significant damage. Splinter looked around. The rain was beginning to hurt, but he had to find his son. His ears picked up the almost indistinct sound of a moan. The ninja master ran towards the sound. The landscape started to show signs of a struggle.

"Get off me!"

"Raphael?" Splinter breathed.

He quicked his pace. There was the sound of metal against wood.

"It's over, reptile. Once that plague spreads across the city there's no stopping the outcome. I told you you would belong to me. Mind, body, soul, and everything that you hold dear."

Splinter heard Raphael groan. He also heard a chilling laugh. It sounded like Shredder's laugh, however, it was also foreign. Splinter edged closer to the scene. He saw Raphael kneeling on the ground. Someone who was dressed in Shredder's outfit stood over him.

"Has anyone ever told you that if you're not careful hate can consume you?"

"I've...been told that," Raphael grunted.

He tried to push himself to his feet, unfortunately, his legs didn't want to co-operate. He looked up at the blood red clad killer.

"Ralph, please, don't do this," he begged.

"You see? That's from hanging around my sister," Ralph said. "That pathetic display of weakness. I not only created the mirror to keep myself and my sister away from the world that wanted to separate us, but also to show the poor soul who found it their darker side. In your case, it showed every side. I never knew you had so many worthless emotions locked up. In fact, I don't blame you for locking them away."

"Is there a point?" Raphael snapped.

"Yes. The point is: you're never going to see your family again. After I'm through with you, you'll just be along for the ride. You see, I've been in need of a stronger body and you fit the bill," Ralph explained.

"You are not possessin' me," Raphael growled.

"You won't have much of a choice," Ralph told him.

"Then I hope he gets a second opinion."

"Sensei?" Raphael asked.

Ralph spun around. Splinter glared at the intruder. Raphael had never seen his father look so angry in his life. Ralph turned to face Splinter.

"You're too late, rodent. Your son's life is forfeit."

"We shall let fate decide," Splinter said.

"No, Master Splinter! Don't!" Raphael yelled.

Ralph and Splinter raced forward. The sky cracked. Raphael closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the battle. He covered his head with his arms. He hated thunder storms. The lightning always liked to play tricks with the mind. Raphael looked up to see who was winning. Ralph brought his left hand down, the claws slashing across Splinter's back.

"Sensei!" Raphael cried.

Splinter fell to his knees. Ralph laughed.

"You mutants are so pathetic, it's almost painful," he taunted.

Raphael felt his heart nearing its final beats. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he couldn't move. He could only watch Splinter fall motionlessly to the ground.

That was it.

It was the end.

Raphael closed his eyes and hung his head. Hot tears ran down his face. His skin was numb from the pounding rain. He felt a familiar presence nearby. His brothers and Rea had shown up. Too late to do anything.

Ralph looked skyward. The blood red clouds were rapidly spreading over the city. The shadows froze anything and anyone they touched. The buildings turned to charred ruin under the darkness. Ralph cracked his knuckles. There was no one to stop him now. The mirror world occupants couldn't cross over except for Deceit, Anger and Rage. The others were locked up and would never get free.

Ralph walked over to Raphael who was now lying on the ground. The turtle made no motion to acknowledge that he knew his time was up.

"No matter," Ralph thought. "He's just a shell, anyway."

Raphael remained motionless. It would be painless, he kept telling himself. Quick and painless. Of coarse, he was no expert in body possession. For all he knew it could be the most painful thing he would ever experience.

"Would serve me right," the sai-wielder thought bitterly.

His chest began to burn again. His stomach knotted. Nausea slowly took over. Raphael squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to begin. Was this really the end? The end for the city? For his family? For him? It took everything he had and more to keep his brothers out of trouble in the mirror world and they were still captured.

"That's agape love."

Raphael slowly opened his eyes. He gave until it hurt. Mrs. Marson said that was the strongest kind of love one could show. He wasn't just an empty shell. He could still love. Love was stronger than hate, wasn't it?

A dark shadow fell over him. Raphael closed his eyes again and waited. It was worthless. Love meant nothing in a world full of hatred.

"It's hopeless."

"Nothing is hopeless," a soft voice echoed in the back of his mind.

Raphael felt a hand close around the back of his neck. The metal sent a cold chill down his spine. Raphael winced. Rapid footsteps splashed against the wet grass.

"Your bros are comin'. They're still here. It's not over yet."

The cold chill turned into white hot liquid fire. Raphael cried out in pain. Ralph tightened his grip. The ninja jerked to free himself from the death grip. Raphael opened his eyes to look at his brothers for one last time, only to see Angel, clad from head to foot in white, looking down at him with a child-like smile.

"If you need me, just give me a call," she said.

Ralph pushed Raphael's head against the ground.

"I could really use a little hope right about now."

"Hope? What's hope gonna do?" Ralph laughed.

"This."

A hockey stick crashed against the side of Ralph's head. He released Raphael and stumbled back. The red-masked turtle pushed himself up and gasped for air. He coughed.

"Raph!"

Something green and blue appeared out of nowhere. It was soon joined by a green and orange blur, which was followed by a green and purple blur.

"You're alive," Donatello said.

"Barely," Raphael gasped.

His brothers released him and leaned back. Casey grabbed an unconscious Ralph and dragged him over to the mouth of the portal. The brothers looked up. Cal, Tech, Dren, Wisdom, Happy and a number of others stood at the top. Deceit, Rage and Anger were tied up. Brave threw down a rope. Casey tied it around Ralph and tugged three times. In a matter of seconds, Brave had Ralph back through the portal.

"Job well done," Tech called down.

"You too," Donatello yelled back.

Raphael couldn't help but smile when he saw Happy, Love and Hope. They smiled back. Happy giggled. Raphael looked to his right. Rea stood by his side. She was an inch shorter than him now and she no longer looked fourteen, but a healthy, mature sixteen-year-old. Her once red and blue hair now fell in fiery red strands around her head. They were matched with deep, crystal blue eyes. Raphael heard Love sigh.

"And, for the record. I am allowed to show emotion towards my charges," Rea said.

Not knowing what higher being was in control of his body, Raphael wrapped his arm around Rea's waist, pulled her close and locked his lips with hers. He heard cheering and whistling in the distance, but he didn't care. He felt Rea's arms wrap around his neck. After a while, they broke apart.

"Not bad, for a mutant turtle," Rea commented.

"Not so bad yourself," Raphael added.

"Yo, lover boy, catch," Stubborn called.

He threw down the mirror. Raphael caught it and turned it over in his hands. He looked at Rea. They both knew what the other was thinking.

"Let's end it," Raphael said.

With each of them holding the handle, Rea and Raphael smashed the mirror against the ground. The glass shattered into thousands of pieces. The shadows retreated. The buildings returned to normal. The city began breathing again.

"Good luck," Love called as the vortex began to close.

"And don't forget to have fun," Happy added.

The vortex sealed and the clouds faded to a light grey. Raphael wrapped his arm around Rea's waist and pulled her close to him. Rea laid her head on his shoulder. Raphael felt a furry hand on his left shoulder. He turned around to see Splinter (alive and breathing) standing behind him.

"Sensei?"

"You have done well, my son."

Raphael managed an awkward bow.

"Thank you, father," he whispered as he straightened up.

Splinter smiled and patted his son's arm.

"Let us go home."

The group headed for the Battle Shell. A light drizzle sprinkled down, but nothing too serious. The mutants and humans climbed into the Battle Shell and drove away from Central Park. There was no longer any tension in the air. Finally, after two weeks of high running emotions, an easy and carefree breeze blew over New York.

Fin

That's a wrap. I hope you all enjoyed it.

I must apologize for the brief mushy moment near the end with Raph and Rea. I'm not much for the mushy stuff, but I couldn't resist. It was only for a brief moment and it was at the end. So, it wasn't too bad.

Anyway, let me know what you think.