Donatello was never good at lying.

He could do it just fine when it counted, of course. Strap him up to a lie detector and ask him where his family was and the machine wouldn't so much as beep when he told you they were on the moon. He also had this clever way (or infuriating, depending on who told the tale) of avoiding a question altogether, and making the other person completely forget what they had meant to ask. Donatello could even outright ignore what he was being asked to the point the other just gave up entirely.

But really lying? He was no good at that. So he rarely did.

He found honesty to be so much more straightforward anyway. Why try to avoid something when hiding it led to inevitable failure? They were a household of ninja, after all. As well known for finding secrets as they were for keeping them.

So Donatello rarely lied, almost never exaggerated, and you knew when he gave you his word that it was an absolute.

No matter how much you might wish it wasn't.

The First

"Donnie?"

Donnie cracked open a tired eye and turned in his bed to spy his younger brother in the doorway. Mikey shifted from foot to foot, shivering as if he were cold and clutching desperately at the blanket he wore like a cloak. He looked everywhere but at his brother as he tried to speak with no success.

"I had a bad dream." Mikey finally admitted.

The genius turtle was not usually who the baby of the family went to when he had nightmares. He was the last one called upon when Mikey couldn't sleep. It wasn't for a lack of love between them. The two brothers were very close. Donnie simply did not have Leo's confidence and ability, or Raphie's strength and fierceness, or Splinter's fatherly ways, which were all things Mikey would normally need after he woke in the middle of the night.

But sometimes the dreams weren't the kind that could be fought off with fists and courage, and that was when he came to Donnie.

The older brother sat up in his bed and spread his arms wide, and that was all the invitation Mikey needed. Blanket abandoned on the floor, he was across the room in two bounds and sobbing on his brother's shoulder in seconds. "It was awful!" He wailed as Donnie wrapped his arms around him. "Everybody was shouting and yelling at me! Just for a little prank! They were all saying that they wished I was never born and that they...they..."

"What did they say, Mikey?" Donnie prompted as he rubbed soothing circles on his little brother's shell.

"That they HATED me!" He howled. After that anything he said that might have been words came out as utter gibberish. He sobbed loudly against Donnie's shoulder, while his big brother mimicked their father by rocking him back and forth as he cried.

It was a long time before the sobs became sniffles, and when they did the genius turtle took that as his cue to speak. "Now, you know none of us really think that, right?"

Mikey nodded against him. "But...what if you do some day? What if I make you all hate me? I don't want you guys to hate me."

Donnie pushed his baby brother back so he sat up straight before he held Mikey's face in his hands, forcing the two of them look each other straight in the eye. "Michelangelo," said Donnie in his best big brother voice "none of us will EVER hate you. You're family. We may get annoyed with you sometimes, just as we all will with each other, but I promise we'll always love you." He tilted his head so their foreheads touched and smiled. "Okay?"

"M'kay." The baby brother mumbled as the early hour suddenly hit him. He gave a wide yawn.

Donnie chuckled and laid down, pulling Mikey beside him. "Go to sleep now. We have practice in the morning." But his words fell on deaf ears, as the exhausted turtle was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Michelangelo never had that nightmare again, nor did it ever come to life.

The Second

"Again!"

Don heaved a sigh as he once again punched Leo with his bo. His big brother once again sidestepped and knocked the staff away before he rushed in to aim a kick at Don's side. He stopped just short of doing so, and fell back into his original position, once again.

"Again!"

The purple-masked turtle repeated the motion, mentally wishing that he hadn't agreed to help Leo with some extra practice. For all his alleged genius, it had slipped his mind as to what ridiculous lengths his oldest brother would go to for perfection. He was getting tired, and Leo certainly didn't look to be ending this anytime soon.

"Again!"

And he'd had an experiment he'd wanted to try too...

"Again!"

"Leo, seriously, enough already!" Don snapped as he straightened himself, setting his bo to the side. "We've been going at this move for over an hour. Over. An. HOUR. I think you've got it down by now."

"No!" Leo snapped back, turning his narrowed eyes on his brother. The intensity of his gaze made Don recoil a bit. "I'm getting worse! My reaction time is slowing and I can't keep my balance or focus. I need to fix this!"

The younger brother's irritation was instantly gone, replaced by understanding and concern. "That's because you're exhausted, Leo. You're overworking yourself."

Leo calmed himself almost immediately, seeing his mistake in lashing out. He let out a gusty breath. "Sorry, Don. I shouldn't have yelled at you. But I really do need to get this move. I almost have it."

"You do have it." The younger brother insisted as he led the obstinate turtle out of the dojo. Leo did not put up much of a fight as he was sat down on the couch, Don finding a place beside him. "Now, what's going on? You're pushing yourself twice as hard as usual, and with how you train normally that's practically suicide. Is something wrong?"

It was not often that Don played confidant to his blue-masked brother. Less often than Mikey had used to come to him for nightmares, even. Due to the fact that his brother seemed to think that the weight of the world was his burden to bear alone, he rarely talked to anyone about anything that had to do with his personal thoughts or feelings. Sometimes, though, even Leo needed an open ear. "Sensei said that he was considering making me the leader." The elder of the two admitted.

All of the brothers knew that their father was close to deciding who would lead their family when the turtles would finally be allowed to explore the upper world. It was a position Leo and Raph were both hoping for, and a position that Don felt the eldest would ultimately hold.

Raph was too out of control to be leader. He was wild and rash, rushing into things without a thought to strategy or planning. Emotions always won against logic, something a leader could ill afford. He wanted the position for glory, for power, for proof he was the best of them all. He did not see the burdens which would follow behind him, which was why Don did not believe he would be their leader.

Mikey wanted nothing to do with leadership. Being in charge would mean responsibilities and less time for play, neither of which sounded good to him. Besides that, he was the baby of the family. None of them could take him too seriously more often than not, and Don doubted that becoming the leader would change this fact as much as it would need to be.

Leo knew what becoming the leader meant. That he would have their very lives in his hands, that any failures they had would all be on him. To him becoming leader was not a prize, but a duty, and he wanted that burden to be his to bear. He was calm, he was smart, and he was strong, and this is why Don felt that Leo would lead them.

And Don himself? The thought of leading his brothers terrified him.

"And how do you feel about that?"

Leo said nothing, but the look in his eyes was enough.

Fear.

Don grasped his brother's hand with his own. "You'll be able to do it." He reassured, knowing where the fear was coming from. "I know you can handle it. You don't have to be perfect, Leo. Just be you. That's all we'll need."

"But what if it isn't enough, Donnie?" Leo asked in a rare moment of trust, soul laid bare for his brother to see.

And Donnie knew it. "It will be. As long as you stay you, everyone will be alright. I know you won't fail us. There will be close calls. You'll have things to learn. But it will be." He squeezed his brother's hand. "And I promise one day you'll be the best leader we could ever have."

Years later, when Leonardo had left for another country, the others left behind would find it to be true. Even if some would not admit it.

The Third

It was usually only Don who was sneaking around the Lair late at night. Some idea would come to him as soon as he lay his head down to rest, or he would dream of the solution to a problem and be unable to fall back to sleep until he fixed it, or he would just have a simple bout of insomnia.

It was the last of the three when he found his red-masked brother on his computer in the lab. "Raph? What are you doing?"

The sai-wielder jerked with a muffled curse and whipped around in the chair to glower at the genius. "Damnit, Don! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Don resisted the urge to remind him that they were ninja. "Sorry. So what are you doing?"

"Nutin'." Said Raph as he turned around to face the computer screen again, making sure it was blocked from view. "Go back ta bed, brainiac."

Said brainiac raised an eyeridge. "I know it's late, but you do realize that you're on my computer, right? In my lab?" When his brother didn't respond, Don sighed and walked closer to look over his shoulder. "Seriously, what is it?"

Raph cursed again, apparently not realizing his brother was so close, and turned to shove him away. Not before Don had a chance to see what he was looking at though. "'How to fix a motorcycle'? Why would you be looking at that? We don't have a motorcycle."

His older brother was clenching and unclenching his fists, and taking deep, deliberate breaths. It didn't take a genius to see that he was trying to calm down and not hit something. Or someone. Don wisely said nothing, knowing anything he said could and would be taken as provocation and that Raph would not explain if he were pushed.

Sure enough, Raph eventually spoke. "I found this old beaten up bike in that junkyard ya always like ta visit. Always wanted ta learn how ta ride one, so I thought I'd try fixin' it up."

"You brought a motorcycle from the junkyard all the way here?" Don knew his brother was strong but...

The older brother scoffed. "No, brainiac, I hid it under some piles of scrap there. Geez."

Don almost asked why his brother hadn't gone to him for help. He answered the question as soon as it entered his head. Pride. Raph wanted to be able to do this himself, even if he wasn't entirely able to yet. He actually was quite the handyman, but not to the extent he wanted to be, and his bad habit of comparing himself to others coupled with his stubbornness prevented him from asking for help. Raph would never accept help with the bike directly.

"You know," Don spoke up "I've been meaning to stop by the junkyard to get some parts lately."

Raph stared at him blankly.

"I'd need someone to watch my back this late, in case I get distracted by what I'm doing...but I have this pretty bad habit that might get irritating to someone who doesn't understand mechanics."

The blank look had not faded.

"Sometimes I'll see some old appliances or vehicles there and end up talking out loud like someone was with me about what would need to be done to fix them. I'll end up walking through the entire process, pretending as if I were instructing someone on what to do. Not that there'd be anyone doing it, of course, and I certainly wouldn't be."

Understanding dawned on Raph's face for a split second before fading into his usual smirk. "Yeah? Well, yer lucky ya have a turtle that knows his nuts and bolts. And if I can handle Mikey, I'm sure I could handle yer habit just fine."

"I'll get my bag." The purple-masked turtle told his brother with a clap on the shoulder. He turned to leave and heard the sai-wielder follow him.

If direct help didn't work, then indirect help was what he'd do. Because he was always going to help his older brother.

"...Tell anyone 'bout this and you are getting yer ass kicked, y'hear?"

"Yeah, yeah, I won't, I promise."

No matter how stubborn and prideful he was.

The Fourth

It really had been a bad idea to let April come down to the Lair when she was this far along. It had been a stupid idea, actually. In fact, it had been an outright moronic, unsafe, loggerheaded idea. But April insisted that she wanted to see the turtles and Splinter in their home one last time before checking into the hospital, and nobody wanted to incur the wrath of a nine-month pregnant woman. Especially not her husband.

Of course it was that night Murphy's law decided to kick them all in the shell and have April's water break on the couch halfway through Fight Club.

"Guys, I think my water just broke." April announced in a too calm voice. Casey promptly panicked, rivaled only by Mikey in intensity, though the husband was worse by a long shot. Leo and Raph had identical looks of bewilderment. For once, neither wanted to take charge of the situation. Master Splinter was trying to calm down his youngest son and the father-to-be, with minimal success.

Don ignored the chaos and moved to look at April. With the late hour and all the vehicles owned broken, courtesy of Mikey, there was no choice but to try to deliver the baby in the Lair. April knew it, and it showed.

"April." Don said in the most confident voice he could muster. She looked at him with wide eyes. "It's gonna be okay. I promise you and the baby will both be fine. Now I need you trust me, and I need you to calm down. Take deep breaths. Okay?"

She took a deep breath and nodded at him. He squeezed her hand before barking out orders. "Casey, Raph, move April into the med bay. I don't think I have to tell you to be gentle with her. Sensei, would you find some old clean towels? Leo, we need some rubbing alcohol. Mikey, shut up and bring us some hot water."

Thankfully everyone went to do their job without too much fuss. Don walked to the med bay with Raph, Casey and April. "Don't worry, babe, yer gonna be just fine." Casey was telling his wife, though it sounded more like he was convincing himself than reassuring her.

She just smiled kindly at him. "I know I will, Case."

"Yer gonna take care of her, right Donnie?" Casey demanded more than asked. When the turtle nodded, he took his wife's hand, fear somehow calmed. "See? We're here for ya, babe."

The rest of the family took that as their cue to enter with the items they'd been told to fetch. Don squared his shoulders. "Okay. Sensei, Casey, I'd like you both to stay in the room and help out. The rest of you stay close enough to the door that you can come in if I call. Don't come in otherwise, no matter what you hear. This is going to be a long, loud process guys. Be ready."

Everyone did as instructed and Don gave himself one, brief moment to let himself feel all the emotions he held.

Then it was gone, pushed away into the back of his mind, replaced by a single-minded focus and determination.

He could do this.

Many hours later Don would emerge from the room with bloody hands and a bright grin.

"It's a girl."

The Fifth

"I am dying, my son."

Don's mind stuttered for a second and then raced full into fix-it mode. "What!? What's wrong?! Are you sick? Is your heart acting up again? Oh, I KNEW I should have upped the dosage last month! Or is it something else?! What are your symptoms? I can–"

Splinter held up a hand and Don stopped rambling instantly. "It is nothing that can be fixed. My time is simply over. I have lived a long life, Donatello, far longer than I should have. But I feel it coming to an end now, as all things must."

The genius turtle had started shaking his head at the word 'over'. It couldn't be. He refused to accept it. There had to be some way that he could fix it. He had to fix it.

Even with his eyesight nearly gone in his old age, Master Splinter saw everything. Knew everything. "My son, there is nothing that can be done. Death comes to us all in the end, and the only thing we can do when our time comes is to accept it. And I have, although you have not." He sighed and stared down into the steaming tea he held in his hands. "My life has been filled with so much joy, Donatello. I have been blessed with the greatest gift that any could wish for. Family. You and your brothers gave my life meaning in a dark time, and lit the way through the rest of it. Together we grew, we trained, and we loved, and for that I cannot be more grateful. It has been an honor to see you, all of you, grow up into the fine men you are today." The father raised his eyes, and his son could not deny the tears in them. "I am so proud of you."

"But we need you." Don whispered, feeling lost and scared and like a child wanting to be told everything was going to be okay.

Master Splinter gave his son a fatherly smile. "I have taught you and your brothers all that I know. You have need of me no longer." The rat paused to sip his tea. "But your brothers need you, and that is why I have called you to speak with me tonight."

"My brothers?" Don repeated with an edge of panic in his voice. Were his brothers dying too?

The elderly rat nodded as he set down the cup with his trembling hands. "Yes. Your brothers have many strengths, my son. Leonardo's dedication and sense of duty have no equal. Raphael has limitless courage and passion. Michelangelo can find light in the darkest of times. But I fear even your younger brother's gift will not be strong enough to keep the family together after I pass on."

The genius couldn't quite see where his father was going with this. "And what do you need me for? What could I possibly do?"

Master Splinter smiled. "You have a gentle and understanding heart, Donatello. It is a natural instinct for you to care for others, to soothe them and heal them when the pain is too much to bear alone. And it is your strength that must carry the family through the coming pain."

"But I couldn't keep us together when Leo left." The purple-masked turtle pointed out.

It was a weak protest and Splinter knew it. "You have grown since then. All of you have. It is a weight I know you can carry. It is a weight you must carry." Don found himself speechless when his father bowed low. "It is the one thing that keeps me from true peace, the thought that the family will fall apart from grief after my death. You cannot let that happen. Promise me you will not let it, my son, and ease an old man's mind. Give me your word."

"I-"

"Please, Donatello."

Donatello remembered a dream. A dream that the world was dark and dying, that a cruel evil man lorded over all like he were a god. A dream that his brothers were all divided, their bonds severed long ago. A dream that Michelangelo no longer smiled, that Raphael was filled with nothing but hatred, that Leonardo saw no hope, saw no future, saw nothing at all. A dream that it was all his fault.

And he laid his head to the ground in a bow and whispered. "I promise."

The Last

Casey paced the length of the infirmary while April and Donatello poured over their data, rushing back and forth between chemistry sets and computers. In the middle of the room the three remaining turtles laid, strapped down to cots, where they writhed and screamed in pain despite their unconsciousness.

It had been a routine patrol, at first. A few Purple Dragons and miscellaneous punks here and there, nothing out of the ordinary. They were headed back to the Lair, laughing and joking with each other, carefree and careless.

They should have known better.

Out of nowhere four men appeared, each with a dart gun bearing the mark of the Foot and filled with some liquid that Don still did not know. He was the only one to avoid getting hit, having been the farthest back with the most time to dodge. Whatever it was had no effect on his brothers at the time, and they easily took down the men after their initial surprise.

It was after they got home the problem started.

Mikey was first. His eyes went wide and sightless, as if he was staring at something so far beyond the realm of reality that reality didn't exist anymore. Breath would not come to him as he gasped desperately for air. The youngest turtle's body began to shake, small tremors that rapidly grew into full-body convulsions. He dropped to the floor when his legs could no longer hold him, and his genius brother was barely able to catch him.

Then the screaming started.

It was raw and primal, full of so much agony that everyone in earshot nearly screamed in unison. It wasn't long after that when Leo did join his baby brother in his anguish, a scream of his own ripping its way from his throat and filling the sewers with the horrible sound. Moments later Raph added to the hellish chorus with his own roars of pain.

Don got his brothers to the med bay as quickly as he could before he called April, desperate for help. She was down within the hour, Casey hot on her heels. They worked on finding out what was wrong and how to fix it since.

That had been days ago.

"There's nothing here, Donnie!" April cried above the cries of the afflicted. "There's absolutely nothing in their blood or brains that indicates that they should acting like this!"

"There has to be something!" Don called back as his mind demanded him to fixitfixitFIXIT. "Something we're missing! Did you-"

"We've done everything and done it a hundred times, Donnie! There is NOTHING! We can't..." April's bloodshot eyes filled with tears of defeat. "We can't do this. We just don't have the ability or the technology. We don't..." A sob ripped its way from her throat and she closed her eyes, whole body sagging. "We don't have the time."

It was Casey who took charge then, striding to his wife and grabbing her arms with a grip so strong that Don saw his knuckles turn white. "C'mon, Ape. Don't give up on us now. We're gonna have the guys all fixed up an' then Mikey's gonna be buggin' us all for pizza-"

"It's not a matter of determination, Casey!" April snapped back as she wrenched herself away. "It's a fact! We're not smart enough! We don't have the equipment! This isn't something we can just wish away with magic! It's not something that's just going to miraculously go away!"

"That's not what I'm sayin'!" Casey replied. "I just think ya should keep a more positive attitude-"

"LOOK AT THEM!" She threw her arm towards Leo, Raph, and Mikey, all still howling. All still suffering. "They're unconscious and they can still feel this! Painkillers do nothing! We can barely sedate them enough to keep them unconscious so they might not remember this when they wake up! If they ever wake up!"

The vigilante visibly deflated. "Babe..."

"And I can't just put on a happy face and lie to myself and everyone here that it's all going to be okay! This is real life, Casey! There's not always a happy ending! Our friends are dying and there's nothing we can do! There's nothing we can..."

Casey took April into his arms and held her close as she sobbed openly. Don had to look away. She was not his to help.

But his brothers were. The purple-masked turtle's mind flew at lightspeed trying to find something that they had overlooked. Anything at all. She had to be wrong. There had to be something they could do. She had to be wrong.

Suddenly it clicked. "April, tell me what was in the dart shot at me."

The woman turned to him, calmer but clearly confused. "It was...sugar water. Don't you remember?"

Yes, but hearing it confirmed by another helped him along. "I do. And the dart shot at me was the only one with it. The rest of them were filled with whatever is causing them so much pain. We had assumed that it wasn't actually sugar water but something chemically created to mimic it, or something that would change when it came into contact with my blood, or some weird Foot fluke...oh, how did I not see this before?!"

"See what, Donnie?" Said April, used to coaxing Don through his epiphanies.

"It really WAS just sugar water!" Don exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands. "We were overthinking it! Shell, we were overthinking it! They never had any intention of poisoning all of us. They wanted one of us rational. They wanted one of us to try and figure out was wrong. They wanted one of us to fail. They wanted one of us to come to them!"

April paled. "Donnie, you're not going to-"

"Not without me he's not." Her husband interrupted as he stepped towards the turtle, his expression daring anyone to contradict him.

Donatello dared. "Casey, you're not coming with me."

"The hell if I ain't!" He barked back.

"You're not." Don repeated, straightening to his full height to stare down at the vigilante. It was still a novelty that he could do that now. "I need you here with April. With my brothers. We can't figure anything out about was injected into them. What if there's a tracking device in them somehow and the Foot came while I was gone? April wouldn't be able to defend the guys all on her own. She'd need your help. And she might need another set of hands to keep my brothers stable. Also, I'm going to try and sneak into the Foot headquarters. You've never been good with stealth. You'd just get us caught, especially if they really are expecting me. Not to mention if it does turn into a fight, I don't think even I'll live through all the Foot Clan trying to kill me. And for all your strength, Case, if I'm not getting out of there alive, neither are you."

The man looked so frustrated, unable to find a hold in his friend's argument.

Gently, he struck the final blow. "Are you really going to leave your children without their father?"

Casey swore loudly and punched the wall in frustration.

Satisfied with his victory, Donnie turned his eyes to his brothers. "Besides, I doubt it's what either of you are thinking. I'm not going there to fight them at all."

"Not gonna fight 'em? What are ya gonna do, talk ta 'em? Ask 'em real nice fer a cure?" Sneered the vigilante, still miffed.

The side of Don's mouth twitched up. Casey would always be Casey. "Close." He admitted before his mood turned somber. "The new Foot leader is of a...scientific mind. He takes after his father in a much more twisted way. He wants to study us, and I don't mean in our natural environment. More along the line of dissections. He wants to see how we tick, what the mutagen did to us, how much we're man and how much we're beast. So I'll play into his hand and make him an offer he won't refuse."

"English, Don." Casey groused.

Donatello had never had such a strong urge to lie in his life. But he did not.

"A trade. Me, for them."

The world seemed to stop for a moment, silent and still.

Then it was back, full force, and Donatello found himself on his shell with Casey standing over him and an ache in his jaw that hadn't been there a second ago. "What are ya thinkin'?!" Casey screamed down at him, eyes rage-filled and misty. "Ya ain't! That's it, ya ain't! That can't be sugar water and it musta hit ya 'cause it's doin' things to ya brain and makin' ya spit out shit like this! Ya plannin' on makin' yaself a martyr, is that it?! Take one fer the team?! Needs of the many 'gainst the few?! Well I got news fer ya, pal! If they wake up and find ya dead, that's gonna kill 'em surer than anythin' else! Ya can't do it, Don! Ya can't!"

And Don replied, so softly that he could barely be heard over his brothers. "Wouldn't you? For your family?"

"FUCK!" Casey screamed before he stormed out of the room.

Don knew that his plan was accepted, however unwillingly.

He rose and turned to April, who was in complete denial. She shook her head slowly, mouthing 'No' over and over as tears refilled her eyes. It broke Don's heart. "April..." He murmured.

"Don't leave us, Donnie." She begged him, breaking the turtle's heart further. "We need you."

The genius gave her a sad smile as he remembered a similar conversation with his father so long ago. "No, you don't." He told her as he rested a hand on her shoulder. Were they always so small? "But my brothers need you. Casey needs you. Your kids need you. So you have to stay strong for them, okay? It may be hard. It may hurt. But please, help them through it."

April couldn't meet his eyes, but the purple-masked turtle kept going. "You know that this is the only option we have left, April. You're too smart not to. If I don't do this then there's no doubt that my brothers will die. I can't let that happen. You understand that, don't you? And I need you to stay with them until I can get the cure to you. You're the only one that can keep them alive until then. So please. Keep them well." He squeezed her small shoulder and smiled a bit wider. "Come on, no more tears now. They don't suit you. Let's see a smile. One last pretty smile, for me?"

She lunged at him and embraced him as best she could, arms not long enough to wrap around him fully. Don returned the hug with no hesitation, resting his cheek on the top of her head. April sobbed, loudly and without reservation, and her friend rocked her back and forth like he had to his younger brother so long ago.

"I love you." She choked out. "So much. You know that, right?"

"Always." Don whispered in her ear. "And I, you."

He had never stopped loving her.

They stayed like that for what felt like a lifetime before Don forced himself to pull away. April gave her friend the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen, even with her tears, before leaving the room to help her husband.

Donatello stood alone in the doorway, then.

Tears began to fill his own eyes as the reality of the situation hit, but he blinked them back. It was the right thing to do. It was the only thing to do. His brothers were stronger now, in mind and heart. They didn't need his strength to keep from falling into despair any more. But he would be strong for them, one last time.

"I promise to save you all..." He vowed to his unhearing brothers before he spun on his heel and left the room.

April and Casey did not mean to hear the words he spoke then. They were so heartfelt, so personal, it was like they intruding on a private moment. Yet they could not move. Nor could they help but hear the words he spoke after.

"...even if it costs me my life."

They woke three days later, groggy and confused. The memories they had of the time since those four men with darts were hazy, and no attempts to remember were successful. Unbeknownst to them, they never would be.

April hugged the closest turtle, which happened to be Raph, as soon as she saw they were awake. He grumbled but made no move to shove her off. "Casey! Casey, they're up!" She cried loudly, and the brothers wondered how close it must have been to make her use that tone of voice.

Then they saw Casey and their curiosity skyrocketed. "Never again." Were the only words he spoke, but his expression held so many more.

"What happened? I feel like I could sleep for a month." Mikey asked with an overdramatic yawn.

"And you will be if I have anything to say about it. Those darts you got in them had this awful drug in them." April explained. "It was basically untouchable and untraceable in your system. You guys nearly died so many times..." She shuddered at the memories. "Thankfully we got an antidote into you before the worst happened."

"Thank you for saving us, then." Said the eldest turtle, the relief of his friends finally making sense. He glanced around the room. "Where's Don?"

The feeling in the air suddenly became so dark that it had all three brothers instantly tense and on edge. "Guys," Leo asked again, suddenly incredibly wary, "where's Don?"

April and Casey both wept.

They found him in the junkyard many nights later. Lungs breathing. Heart beating. Eyes with all the light stolen from them.

The voice of April rang in their ears.

"He kept his word."