AN: Wow, I was not expecting this to be done so soon. I got four reviews for the last chapter! Yay! I don't say this a lot, but I really do appreciate you all! Well, this is it. The last chapter. I want to address a review I received from ShadowCat2428 before moving on. She (or he) wants to know what the turtles' ages are. Okay! The way I see it, they were fifteen at the beginning of the series, and I'm guessing about two years have gone by, by the FF season, so they're supposed to be seventeen. The physical ages of the test results only apply to the human DNA that made the turtles into sentient beings. (See any of Darius Dunn's long speeches in the last chapter and the chapter before it if you have no idea what I'm talking about. They're somewhere in there.) She (he) also wants to know if they really are brothers. Through the turtle DNA, Mikey and Raph are twins, Leo is their half-brother, and Donnie is unrelated. Through the human DNA, they are all brothers. Make sense? The birth order I tend to lean towards in this story goes: Leo, Mikey & Raph as twins a few minutes apart, and Donnie. The other goes: Leo, Donnie, Raph, & Mikey, in case you're wondering. Either is correct according to this storyline. Anyway, enjoy the last chapter to this story!

Disclaimer: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Master Splinter currently belong to Nickelodeon. All characters associated with FF season of 2k3 series belong to 4Kids. I own the characters named Darius Dunn (formerly Dr. Klaas) and Alexa Rodriguez, the new names of the dark turtles, and the basic plot. (FYI, feel free to use the names I used. I don't care.)

The End?

"Come on, come on!" Cody muttered as he stuck his tongue between his teeth, clutching the wrench in his hands tightly as he carefully turned a loose screw. "Work!" He glanced back at the portal when it began to spark, hope swelling in his heart until . . .

"Cowabunga!" A certain orange-clad turtle burst through the door and the portal immediately fizzed out. Cody stared at it in disbelief. Really?

"Oops!" Michelangelo chuckled when he realized what had happened. "Um, is that normal?"

"With you, nothing's normal," Donatello muttered as he stomped in from Cody's cluttered storage room carrying a large box in his arms. His face was covered with grime, but Mikey made the wise decision not to point it out as his brother dropped the box at Cody's feet.

"It probably wouldn't have worked anyway," Cody sighed, laying aside his wrench and swiping a hand across his forehead. "Have you seen Tello? Maybe he can help us."

Donatello rolled his eyes at the mention of his clone. "He's been holed up in his room all morning, working on his 'experiment.' I tell you, he's taking the saying 'Old habits die hard' to a whole new level."

"You guys look beat," Mikey suddenly proclaimed, sauntering over and looping an arm over Donnie's shoulders. "I made pizza!" He sing-songed, wiggling his fingers in front of Donnie's beak.

Cody smiled at the thought of Mikey's specially made, homemade pizza, his stomach growling already. "Sounds good to me."

"But I just found those parts you wanted!" Donnie whined, sounding uncharacteristically childish as he pointed at the box, which was filled with various odds and ends left over from failed experiments, to make his point.

"Dude," Mikey grumbled. "You're taking this whole being the youngest thing way too far."

"I thought you were the youngest?" Cody asked as he began sifting through the box to appease the purple-clad turtle, since he didn't have the heart to tell him he probably no longer needed anything inside of it.

Mikey tapped his chin in thought. "Well, technically, we have two different birth orders: Leo, me, Raph, and Donnie-boy here," Donnie glared, "and Leo, Donnie, Raph, and me. The only one who doesn't change is Leo."

"Lucky," Donnie grumbled. Cody and Mikey shared a worried look behind the disgruntled turtle's back as they stood as one.

"Well!" Cody exclaimed, grabbing a dirty rag off the control console to the portal and wiping his hands on it. "Can't keep the pizza waiting!"

"I highly doubt the pizza cares," Donnie grumbled as he stomped towards the door to the lab and disappeared down the hallway.

"What is up with him?" Cody asked the orange-clad turtle once his friend had disappeared. "He's been acting like that for three months now."

"Yeah," Mikey agreed. "Ever since that whole mess with him thinking he had AIDS. I'm starting to think that whole testing thing was a really bad idea."

Cody rolled his eyes when Mikey wasn't looking. Starting to think? "Well, I guess we'd better hurry or Sir Grumps-a-lot will barge back in here and demand to know what's taking us so long."

"Please tell me you didn't just call Donnie what I think you just called him."

"What? Sir Grumps-a-lot? I thought it was funny," Cody protested as he followed the turtle out the doorway. "You don't think so?"

"Just leave the jokes to me. 'Kay, kid?" Mikey teased playfully as he reached back to further mess up Cody's already disheveled hair.

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"Remind me how I got roped into this again?" Nardo grumbled to his original as he spooned pizza sauce onto the circle of dough before him. It didn't help that he was also wearing the now pizza-sauce-splattered apron and chef's hat that his little brother had talked him into wearing, as he had talked him into helping make the pizzas at all.

"You just can't say 'no' to those eyes," Leo replied as he painstakingly made his dough into a perfect circle, eying it critically for any imperfections.

"Now, pupils," Angelo was saying as he stood at the head of the island, wearing his own chef's hat and much-too-small apron as he stirred a bowl of pizza dough in his hands. They had already made three pizzas, but the dark clones had very large appetites, and the pizzas weren't terribly large to begin with. "You must become one with the pizza. Be the pizza!"

Nardo was thinking of about eleven different ways he could kill his little brother as he began smoothing the sauce over the dough with the large spoon in his hands, something that was very difficult with hands as large as his.

"Can I help?" Phael stuck his head into the kitchen, hope lighting up his face. He was sporting a large black eye from an earlier sparring match against his original, but his happy disposition had not been disturbed by it.

"No!" The three other turtles chorused without even bothering to check who it was. Phael was under strict orders to never step foot into the kitchen again after an incident two months ago that will not be relayed because of the sheer horror of it.

Phael pouted but withdrew his head, his large stomping audible to the three turtles' ears even from a distance.

"Howdy, fellow pizza-makers!" Mikey greeted as he suddenly barreled into the room, Cody following a few steps behind him at a normal pace. He wouldn't have made it to the kitchen nearly as fast if Mikey hadn't dragged him the entire way.

"Daddy!" Angelo exclaimed, dropping his bowl on the counter and tackling Mikey in a hug. Leo and Nardo chortled at the youngest clone's exclamation. Much to Michelangelo's chagrin, his clone had dubbed him "Daddy" very soon after they had returned to the penthouse, and absolutely refused to be corrected.

"Angelo," Leo softly reprimanded, continuing to poke at the edges of the dough as he looked the yellow turtle in the eye.

"Sorry," Angelo immediately apologized, leaping to his feet and picking Mikey up. "I keep forgetting I'm so much bigger than you!" He set Mikey down and brushed him off. "There, all better!"

"Thanks," Mikey grumbled as he wriggled away from his clone and turned towards his oldest brother, flashing him a thankful smile. Leo only nodded in return as he continued to "perfect" his pizza dough.

"Oh, for the love of anchovies!" Nardo, who had a thing for the salty fish, suddenly exclaimed, having already finished sprinkling cheese over his dough. "It's done already!"

"It's lumpy!" Leo protested as he continued to smooth out the edges. "Can't you see?"

Nardo stared at the perfectly un-lumpy dough for several seconds before looking his original in the eye and proclaiming, "No."

Leo's shoulders stiffened and he attacked his dough with renewed vigor, determined that it be absolutely perfect. Mikey knew better than to argue with his oldest brother when he got into one of his "perfection" moods, so he left the kitchen in his clone's capable hands and pranced out into the main room.

He was met with an odd sight. His twin was standing with a game controller in his hands as Donnie's clone fussed over a cloth-covered lump, lecturing Raphael about whatever was under said lump. Apparently, Tello had decided to emerge from his cave and grace the rest of the world with his presence. "Ta da!" Tello exclaimed in excitement as Mikey approached, yanking the cloth off and presenting his "experiment" in one fluid motion.

Both Mikey and Raph stared at the contraption before them in confusion. Tello had already proved time and again that he wasn't nearly as smart as Donatello and did not possess his ingenuity for inventing. The—thing—before them looked like a conglomeration of loose parts screwed together with no real battle plan. However, Tello looked so proud of it that the older turtles didn't have the heart to crush his dreams of being an inventor.

"What is it?" Raph asked with forced curiosity. Even he didn't want to upset the clone. Besides Nardo, the other three clones had childish tendencies, and it wasn't unheard of, particularly for Angelo, for them to burst into tears or throw temper tantrums. Tello's tantrums generally involved big words that even he didn't know quite what they meant. Granted, Tello very rarely broke down into such childish behavior, but he wasn't above it either.

"It's a heat ray!" Tello proclaimed, his smile so wide it took over his entire face. Mikey and Raph stared at him blankly for long enough that Tello got the picture. "It really works!"

"We believe you/ya!" Mikey and Raph chorused when Tello reached for the contraption as if to prove his point by turning it on.

"Wasn't that already invented?" Raph asked, scratching his head in confusion as he stared at the thing in front of him.

"I made improvements!" The purple clone explained. When they still looked blank, he huffed in indignation and scooped the contraption up. "Fine then! I'll just show this to somebody who can appreciate my ingenuity!"

"I 'preciate your whatchamacallit, Tello!" Phael exclaimed from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a coloring book and various crayons spread out before him. He had proven to be quite the artist and, unfortunately, the coloring book and crayons were all Cody could find to give him to appease his artistic tendencies. Let's just say he had been expressing his talent on less appropriate places.

"Thank you, Phael!" Tello said, spinning on his heel and marching back towards his brother, dropping down on the floor beside him.

"Mikey?" Raph turned to his twin, a question burning in his mind. "If I had told you three months ago that we would be living side-by-side with our dark clones and we would be actually not trying to kill each other, what would you have done?"

Mikey met his brother's stare for about ten seconds before they both broke down into uncontrollable laughter at the thought of the insanity of their current lives. Tello and Phael glanced over disapprovingly, but were much too absorbed in the "heat ray"/coloring book and crayons to do much else.

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The room was dark and smelled heavily of antiseptic as he entered, striding briskly towards the lump hunched over in the sterilized bed. "How are you feeling?" Donatello asked professionally, clapping his hands twice to turn on the lights so he could see to administer his patient's medication.

The shell of the man in the bed turned over slowly and blinked up at his caretaker. Torbin Zixx looked like death itself, his skin now a sickly gray and his once mischievous eyes now devoid of life. He was dressed in a gray hospital gown, his body now bony underneath it.

Although his physical wound had healed a long time ago, the mental wounds brought about by his sister's betrayal had wormed themselves so deeply into his subconscious that they had begun to affect his health. Donatello had made himself his sole caretaker, declaring that he was the only one with enough medical knowledge to be able to properly care for the man.

"Fine," Zixx croaked, his voice deep and hoarse from being unused. He only spoke when spoken to, and never much more than two words. Donatello was hard-pressed to even truly assess his condition, since the man never said anything that would indicate he was not in perfect health.

Donnie sighed as he held the syringe up to the light, checking that he had the correct amount of antidepressant. When he was certain, he scooped up a wipe and marched over to his patient. Zixx said nothing as the turtle wiped a spot on his arm clean and injected the drugs into his system.

"There," Donnie said as he withdrew the needle, wiping it clean and laying it on another table for later sterilization. "Have you had any more dreams?"

"Uh huh," Zixx murmured, falling back against his mound of pillows and hacking into his arm, his eyes glazed over.

Donnie tsked as he picked up the thermos of chamomile tea that Leo had insisted he give to Zixx and poured some out into the cap. "Drink this," he ordered as he held it to the man's lips. "It will help you sleep."

Zixx obeyed without question, his eyes already beginning to droop once he had finished. "Thank you," he murmured, burrowing weakly into his pillows.

Donnie nodded, even though he was happy that the man had spoken outside of being spoken to. "I'll be back to check on you in a few hours. Get some rest," he ordered as he wiped the cap down and screwed it back on top of the thermos. He left the room and pulled the door closed as quietly as he could.

"How's the patient?" Donnie didn't even jump at hearing the voice behind him. Even though he had been neglecting training for the last three months in favor of caring for Zixx, his heightened senses were still very much intact.

"No change," Donnie replied, turning to face the speaker. "How are things at the company going?"

Dr. Darius Dunn sighed heavily as he ran a hand down his face. Convincing O'Neil Tech, and the entire city of New York City, that he was the real Darius Dunn hadn't been as difficult as they had thought it would be. A simple DNA test had proven his claim, but the paperwork to transfer the company over to him had been immense. Cody was now once again to inherit the company when he turned twenty one, instead of being the head of the company already.

"Exhausting," Darius smiled wearily, his kind eyes showing just how true that statement was. He and Donatello had become fast friends, bonding over their love of science, although Donatello was an engineer and he a biologist. "How is my nephew?"

"Still a little shook up," Donnie replied. "I think he would be better if he'd only had to cope with discovering Vanderbilt wasn't his real uncle. The man did raise him for so long, and when . . . well, you know, happened, I think it really hit him."

Darius sighed. "I wish I could spend more time with the boy, but you have no idea just how much Vanderbilt messed the company up. It may take me years to fix the damage he wrought. I just hope the boy will come to love me as he once loved that impostor."

Donnie smiled and laid a hand on the doctor's shoulder. "I believe he already does, Darius."

Darius smiled for a moment before his face suddenly turned serious again. "What about you, Donatello? How are you feeling?"

Donnie's smile disappeared instantly, replaced by a guarded expression. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem . . . off, somehow. Is something bothering you?" Darius asked quietly. "Your brothers have mentioned that you're not quite yourself. Does this have anything to do with our patient?" He nodded at the door to the improvised sick room.

Donatello's guarded expression remained, although he looked to be wavering. He had been waiting three whole months for somebody to approach him. He had really been expecting Leo to step up, but the oldest turtle was always a little on guard around him. Donnie guessed that he hadn't quite forgiven himself for the argument that they had, had. Donnie couldn't really blame him, since he hadn't forgiven himself either.

"Please, Donatello," Darius encouraged, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Your family is worried about you, including me. You four are like my nephews too, and your father is like a brother to me. I care about you."

Donnie nodded and sank to the floor, turning so his shell was to the wall. "Sit, please," he patted the floor beside him and waited until the doctor sat, grunting with the effort. Donnie smiled absentmindedly.

Darius noticed the smile. "Not as young as I used to be, I guess."

Donnie's smile wavered as he continued. "I brought her here."

Darius blinked. "Eh?"

Donnie's smile had completely disappeared now. "You know who I'm referring to. Alexa. I brought her here."

"Now, wait just a minute, young . . . turtle—"

"I brought her here, Darius!" Donnie snapped, fighting to hide the heat quickly rising to his face. "She killed Vanderbilt and she nearly killed Zixx!"

"Donatello," Darius interrupted firmly, putting a hand on the turtle's shoulder," first off, you could not possibly have known what she was capable of. And, secondly, you do not know for certain that it was Miss Rodriguez who attacked the man Zixx. He has made no confirmation of that fact."

"He hasn't said anything about it, Darius!" Donnie protested. "I just don't get it! What is wrong with him?! It's like he's lost the will to live!"

"Donatello!" Darius snapped, once again silencing the turtle. He sighed and gently squeezed his friend's shoulder before dropping his hand. "Please, you will wake your patient. Now, blaming yourself for what Miss Rodriguez did is foolish, and you know it. That woman was messed up to begin with. If anything, I should have done something. I, at least, had some idea of what she was capable of. You did not. However, blaming yourself for another's sins is not only wrong, it's unhealthy."

Donnie sighed and dropped his head into his hands. "It's not just that, Darius . . ." he trailed off.

"Go on," the doctor encouraged, re-placing his hand on Donatello's shoulder.

Donnie sighed once more and raised his head to look at the doctor, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands dangling near his feet. "Leo was right, about everything. He always is." To say the least, the doctor was a little confused at this pronouncement, but he made no move to interrupt. "I'd lost all will to live, Darius. Just like Zixx. I let the cruiser crash. I tried to commit suicide. And now, because of something I did, somebody else is heading down that same path. He may not be heading out on a suicide run, but Zixx is dying. It's as if he's willing himself to death."

"Donatello," Darius murmured once it was clear the purple-clad turtle had finished. "I thought you were merely bearing the burden of someone else's sin. But, turns out, you are bearing the world on your shoulders. You are only seventeen, Donatello. You cannot possibly believe that it is your fault that Mr. Zixx's health is in such a state." He paused. "Is that why you took over sole responsibility for the man?"

Donnie's head dropped until it was nearly in the space between his crossed legs. "You guessed it," he murmured.

Darius frowned. "I was under the impression that it was your brother Leonardo who had the tendency to blame himself for things that he could clearly not have controlled."

Donnie met the doctor's gaze. "What makes you think he isn't?" The doctor looked confused, so Donnie knew he had to elaborate. "Let me explain my brother to you, doctor. Last year, he went through a bout of depression. He was blaming himself for the fact that he could not save us. We had to blow up a ship in order to rid the world of the Shredder." Darius knew very little about this Shredder person the turtles were always referring to, but he did know that Alexa Rodriguez was the clone of his long dead adopted daughter. "Ever since then, he's made more of an effort to withhold his guilty feelings. It's not that he doesn't have them—he just shows them differently. Haven't you noticed that he basically avoids me?" Darius shook his head. He was rarely around, and only knew about Donatello because the turtle currently in discussion had cornered him three days ago and had begged him to "talk some sense into him." "It's because he still feels guilty about what he said to me. I was over it a long time ago, but try telling him that."

Donnie sighed and leaned his head back to rest it against the wall behind him. "I guess I just haven't learned how to conceal my emotions yet. Leo's a master at it."

Darius suddenly stood and looked down at a surprised Donnie. "I am beginning to believe that the real problem here is that you and your brother did not truly make amends that day."

Donnie rolled his eyes and stood. "And why do you believe that?"

"It seems that you have been avoiding him as much as he has been avoiding you." Darius was really just guessing, but he was inwardly crossing his fingers and hoping he was correct.

Donnie laughed shortly, the action sounding sarcastic to Darius's ears. "In case you hadn't noticed, doctor, I've kinda been avoiding everybody."

"All right, then," Darius muttered. "But, I do still believe that there is some tension between you two."

Donnie sighed as he strolled briskly down the hallway leading to the main room, Darius at his heels. "There's no tension between us, Darius. Leo just needs a little time to accept I've forgiven him, and that he was right all along anyway, and get over it."

Darius suddenly slammed on the brakes, startling his companion. "Of course! That's why you're angry at him! Because he hasn't gotten over it yet!"

"I'm not angry at him, Darius," Donnie practically growled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Mike said he made pizzas."

"You know," Darius commented, continuing to trail the turtle. "I just realized that you haven't called Michelangelo 'Mikey' in quite awhile."

"Your point?" Donnie snapped.

Darius shrugged in reply. "Just an observation."

Upon their entering the main room, Darius ceased his interrogation, and they went their separate ways, not that this was anywhere near over. Donnie marched over to where Mikey and Raph were engaged in an old cartoon show and plopped down on the couch next to Mikey. Mikey glanced at him momentarily, noticed the glower plastered on his face, and decided it would be wisest to just pretend his brother had never sat down.

Donnie waited for five long minutes for either of his brothers to ask him what was wrong, before he got fed up and stomped away. Darius followed him with his eyes, his curiosity piqued at the uncharacteristic reaction. The pieces were beginning to fall together in his mind as he realized what was really bothering the purple-clad turtle.

"Master Darius!" Serling suddenly broke the odd tension, bursting into the room, his circuits fizzing as his mouth blinked rapidly as if he were breathing heavily. "Come quickly! Something is wrong with that confounded contraption!"

"The portal!" Cody cried, bursting in through the kitchen and disappearing out the doorway. The others in the room stood still, shocked, for several moments before their brains clicked back on and they hurried to follow the frantic boy.

The lab was crowded when three of the turtles, their clones, Darius, and Serling squeezed through the door and watched the portal in amazement. It was whirring and spluttering, as if it were about to explode. "Donnie, help me!" Cody exclaimed. Donatello wasted no time in hurrying to his friend's assistance.

Mikey burst through the door with Master Splinter at his heels. "There!" Mikey exclaimed, pointing at the portal even though he had, had no idea that's what was wrong when he had gone to get the old rat.

Master Splinter stared at the portal in shock. "What is wrong with it, my son?" He directed the question at Donatello, but the purple-clad turtle was much too busy helping Cody to reply.

Darius decided he'd best answer, even though he didn't quite know what was happening. "I believe that the portal may be starting up."

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New York City may have been a pretty city masking a darker underneath, but other parts of the world weren't as nice. The Middle East was a region that hadn't changed much following the treaty signed among humans and many other alien races. Aliens that had migrated to Earth and begun their own small populations had intermingled with the human population, but they were the only sign that the treaty had ever been signed.

Alexa hopped down off of her camel and adjusted her hood over her face. She had changed into an ankle-length dress reflexive of the culture she was now in, and the hood did well to hide her clearly non-Middle-Eastern features. The young man who was acting as her guide wordlessly took her camel by the reins and led it over to a post where he tied it.

Alexa breathed in deeply before letting the breath loose. Upon stabbing her brother, she had realized that she could no longer remain in New York. She couldn't risk those turtle things tracking her down and turning her over to the legal system. Her crimes were worthy of death, and she had no desire to die for what she had done.

"Where is it?" She asked her guide once he had returned to standing by her side. His head only came up to her shoulder, although his hair made him appear a few inches taller. He hadn't spoken a word since she had hired him, but he was still proving to do be an excellent guide.

He pointed and she followed his finger to where she saw a multi-colored tent set up in the middle of nowhere. She nodded once at the man before she took off briskly across the desert sand. She was now grateful that she had traded her high-heeled boots for a pair of leather sandals, since she doubted she would be able to walk in her favorite footwear.

She reached the tent in a few minutes and ducked under the flap. "May I ask who you are?" The only occupant of the tent asked without turning from his place bowed over a small table topped with incense and candles. The tent's bottom had been layered with brightly colored rugs, and the sides were piled with just as brightly colored pillows.

"My name is Alexa Rodriguez," Alexa began, seating herself cross-legged on the floor a few feet from the man. "And I have come because I heard you know of Sh'Okanab0."

The man's back stiffened and he whirled around to face her. His face was mostly hidden by a traditional Arabic hood that was wrapped around his head. His robes hung heavily on his scant frame and his beady eyes bore into her as he hissed. "How do you know that name?"

Alexa's gaze had not wavered, her emerald green eyes piercing him and pinning him to the spot. "That is none of your concern. I wish to know of a portal that he built."

"He did not build it," the man hissed. "Some boy did. He simply copied the design."

Alexa scowled and hissed under her breath, "Cody." She glanced up at the man, having regained her composure. "I wish to know how I can travel back in time."

The man watched her for a moment before he turned back around and picked up a glass ball from the table before him that his body had hidden before. He wordlessly stood and handed her the ball, sitting back on the floor, now facing her.

Alexa stared suspiciously at him, about to insult him, when the ball suddenly began to spark, and an image formed in it. "What the—?" She hissed, glaring into the ball, her shock making her pause. "What is this?!" As she continued to watch, the image focused and she was able to make out the scene. "The turtles!" She hissed. From what she could tell, the turtle named Donatello and the boy genius were frantically trying to rewire a ring of steel that was sparking. The closer she looked, she realized that the center of the ring was beginning to blur, as if a portal were opening.

Her eyes snapped up to stare at the man in shock. "The portal!"

The man nodded once and pulled something from the folds of his robe, holding it out to her. She stared at him for a moment before she took it, turning it over in her hands. "What is—?"

"Sh'Okanabo had a minion," the man interrupted. "She was a computer virus that had taken on human form. With a touch of that button, you can reactivate her, and she can send a copy of the portal here which you can go through. Assuming that the turtle creature and the boy can get the original portal working, that is."

Alexa turned her attention back to the ball, and something caught her eye. "Who is . . . ?" She trailed off when she realized who it was. "No, it can't be! He's dead!" Her adoptive brother had staggered into the picture, clearly drawn by the pull that the portal was emitting. She watched in amazement as he dragged himself towards the portal. The others were much too engrossed in what was occurring around them to pay him any mind.

"This cannot be—" She once again fell silent when the center of the ring of steel suddenly snapped and a rift in matter opened to reveal a time from one hundred years past. Without even being aware of what she was doing, Alexa pressed the button on the remote.

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"It's open!" Donnie and Cody cried at the same time.

"Hurry!" Cody exclaimed. "Before it closes again!"

"But, what about you?" Leo asked, stepping forward, only stopping when his sensei put a hand on his shoulder.

Cody shook his head and smiled. "I've got my Uncle Darius, and the guys can take care of me!"

"Yes," Nardo suddenly announced, stepping forward and bowing to Cody. "We will serve you with our lives, for you have given us ours."

Cody shook his head and hurried over to the enormous blue turtle, reaching up to put a hand on his arm. "I only ask for your friendship."

For the first time in his short life, Nardo actually cracked a smile, as small as it was. The other three dark turtles cried for joy and crowded around their brother and new charge.

"I will take care of him," Darius promised, putting a comforting hand on Leo's shoulder. "It is all right."

During the tearful goodbyes, Serling was beginning to fidget, scratching at his steel belly as if he had an itch. "What on earth?" He muttered. When his vision began to turn a multitude of reds and oranges, he realized that something was terribly wrong. "Master!" He cried before he lost complete control of himself.

Mikey and Raph had already stepped through the portal, leaving only Leo, Donnie, and Master Splinter. "Serling!" Cody cried in alarm, running to help his friend.

"Cody!" Donnie tried to rush forward and stop his friend, fearing something he could not quite name, but Leo grabbed his arm and drew him towards the portal. "Leo, let go!"

"Come on, Donnie!" Leo exclaimed. "He's fine! Serling's just probably malfunctioning!"

"Hurry, my sons!" Splinter exclaimed. Without a word, the rat grabbed his sons and hustled them to the portal. "Go through!"

"But, Master Splinter!" They protested as one.

"Go!" The old rat cried. Leo nodded once before grabbing Donnie again and dragging him through the portal after him.

"Something's wrong with Serling!" Cody exclaimed, frantically pawing at his friend's control panel located behind the panel on his back. "I can't regain control!"

"Cody, move!" Nardo suddenly leapt forward and snatched the boy away the moment before the robot went berserk.

"I! Can't! Stop! Myself!" Serling cried as he barreled towards the portal.

"No!" Master Splinter cried, diving for the robot as he crashed into the portal, causing it to explode.

When the smoke had cleared, all the still coughing remaining occupants could see were the wasted remains of the portal, no sign of Master Splinter or Serling.

"No!" Cody screamed, ripping from Nardo's grasp and throwing himself at the pile. "Serling! Come back!"

Darius rushed forward and pulled his nephew away. Cody cried and threw himself into his uncle's arms, sobbing for the loss of his lifelong friend and caretaker. "He's gone!" He cried into the man's chest. "He's just—gone!"

Tello took several tentative steps forward and knelt beside the pile. "They all are," he murmured, closing his eyes.

"Do you think they made it?" Angelo asked tearfully.

"I'm sure they did, Angie," Nardo soothed, but his attention was on his purple brother. Tello stood and met his gaze, looking as hopeless as they did.

"I don't know," he admitted, dropping his head in shame.

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Alexa stared at the swirling purple vortex before her with both horror and awe. She had already dropped the remote, shocked at the scene that had happened in the ball. She hadn't quite worked up the nerve to jump through the small circle yet.

"Well?" The man grouched, causing her to swing around and stare at him, her eyes still wide with shock. "Are you going through or not?"

His question made Alexa snap out of her trance and look at the portal in a new light. "Yes," she hissed, leaping through without a backwards glance.

TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT TMNT

"Master Splinter!" Donnie screamed after he and Leo fell through the portal on the other side. Upon their exit, the glowing purple circle disappeared, their sensei nowhere in sight.

"Donnie!" Leo cried, grabbing his brother by the elbows and dragging him away. "There's nothing you can do!" The oldest turtle wanted nothing more than to break down himself, especially since this wasn't the first time their sensei had disappeared on them, but he couldn't with Donnie's already being so fragile.

Donnie suddenly paused and ripped away from him. "Oh, yes, there is." He growled, marching away with a plan already forming in his mind.

"It's not jus' Masta Splintah we lost," Raph observed, watching his brother disappear. "I'd like ta know whateva happened to Donatello."

AN: I give up! I finally caved! Yes, the ending is open-ended, indicating I will probably write a sequel. Nah, not probably. There's too many loose ends to torture you all with if I don't write one. Don't expect it for awhile, though. I learned my lesson on my two current stories (including this one). I need to have stories close to done before I begin posting!

Now, thank you to everybody who reviewed! I love you all! Abbess Marie, dondena, Starfire201, tmntfanatic (guest reviewer?), Who Am I. Well. I'm just Me, thecartoongirl22, Guest (guest reviewer—just in case), Confused (guest reviewer), No More Love, TMNTfan95, The White Grim (guest reviewer?), ShadowCat2428, Yuhi-san, J. Guest or Just Call Me J (guest reviewer [And, dude, no big deal that you double-reviewed. I don't judge!]), madagascarmaster, Rivenchu, and Pulpomolcagetero. Wow, my spell check went crazy on some of those. Anyway! Also, a big thanks to anybody who favorited, followed, or just plain read this story! Yay, it's finally done! I can move on with my life! Until I start the sequel, of course! (That was sarcasm.)