A/N: It has been a long journey for the guys and their loved ones. This is the 22 installment in my series. If you are just joining us, this will catch you up for the most part. Of course feel free to go back and read the actual story each flashback is related to. The guys and their wives are in their mid-fifties here. But they've still got a long way to go. A couple key points to remember are:

1. They are all turtles except Sarah, Cat, Kala, Jamie, and Ona.

2. From eldest to youngest is Donnie's daughter Mira, Mikey's son Kaz, Raph's son Yoshi, and Leo's son Shinta.

Happy reading!

The night sky sparkled with a million pinpoints of light, like little diamonds set in black velvet. One could get lost among them, allowing thought, time and space to merge. They were breathtaking in their beauty, but they were almost oblivious to group below them. Their chatter was cheerful and unrestricted. Here in the country no one would disturb them. They were far enough from civilization that the boisterous bunch could celebrate uninhibited.

The object of their celebration made a small peep as he was passed from one pair of strong hands to another. Donnie grinned as K-three passed him his grandson. He gazed down into the brown eyes rimmed in gold and couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in his heart. The three-day-old hatchling turned in his arms to snuggle a little deeper into his chest ducking away from the cool spring breeze. The little turtle yawned as he wrapped his hands around one of his grandfather's large fingers.

The family was in high spirits which was always the case after a recent hatching. Across the fire from him, Leo smiled watching his brother. It was an incredible sight. Never in his wildest dreams would he have ever thought such a thing was possible. They had gone from a family of four turtles with a rat father to a clan of fifteen with the addition of their newest member. To see the face of their third generation was amazing. And it was something none of them had thought they'd live to experience. Their lives were harsh and unpredictable, thick with dangers. Yet, here they were having a party to welcome the tiny turtle. He gazed around at the family spread around the fire and the back porch and off into the farmhouse. There were so many of them now that it was getting harder to keep track of everyone.

Jamie turned in his arms to smile up at him, her honey colored eyes sparkling in the fire light. "Are you happy, Leo?"

"Yeah." He dipped his head to nuzzle against her cheek. These were the moments that made the rest of the chaos they went through worth it. These soft sweet moments of bliss.

Nearby, Kala sat in Mikey's lap, his head propped on her shoulder while she fed him hot marshmallows. She giggled as he playfully tried to nip her fingers. When he'd catch one on occasion, he'd suck on it until she'd pull her hand away with a little pop. Her giggle would increase as he'd immediately whisper something dirty in her pointed ear.

On the back porch, Raph sat heavily on the swing beside Cat. It groaned in protest of the large turtle's weight. He popped open a beer and looked at the human with his boots propped on the porch's rail. "So, I've been wonderin', why don't a tough guy like you drink beer?"

Jamie's brother, Randy, twirled the root-beer bottle in his fingers. "I used to. But after what happened to John and Lizzy, I haven't even been able to look at the stuff."

Raph frowned at his bottle, remembering the story Leo had told him about Jamie's family being killed by the drunk driver. He set it aside, it's bitter taste a little too bitter now. The back door opened and Sarah came out followed by Mira. They carried two large trays covered in food. "Okay, guys. We've got hotdogs, hamburgers, sausage links, and…" She looked from the last item to Randy. "What did you call it?"

"Boudin." He provided with a quirk of his lips.

Setting the trays on the two large picnic tables, Mira looked up at him. "What's in exactly?"

Randy dropped his cigarette into his empty bottle. "Pork and rice mainly with some spices."

Jamie approached holding Leo's hand as Mikey nearly pounced on the food. "I'd go easy on those Mikey. You haven't had them before." She warned, though she suspected he wasn't going to listen in the least. She shook her head when he popped one in his large mouth and his eyes started to water almost instantaneously. "I tried to warn you."

Yoshi listened to his family laugh from his position on the porch's roof. He sighed, his arms behind his head. He knew he should be joining in. It wasn't often that they got to have a party like this with enough room to move around. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kaz and Ona slip off into the darkness of the barn. He groaned. Ever since Kaz had found the girl, they'd practically been inseparable. A part of him was jealous. He missed his cousin and friend. They'd spent the three years before Ona causing trouble and generally annoying the pants off most of the adults.

Yoshi smirked, remembering the dozens of times they'd snuck out without being caught and the times they had. The punishments they'd endured together and encouragement they'd shared with each other. He missed all that. Yeah, even the punishments. But Ona had swept Kaz off his feet seemingly and Yoshi hadn't bothered to put up a fight. How could he compete with her? She was a girl after all. And one that didn't seem to mind that they were turtles, which was one in a million. He couldn't even be mad at her as much as he wanted to be. She was soft spoken and sweet, and was still learning things she'd been forced to forget.

The turtle narrowed his eyes as he saw something move in the trees. If he hadn't known what he was looking for he never would have seen the lighter green hidden beneath the darker. Shinta's small shape, bounced silently from one tree to the next, getting closer to the barn. Yoshi snorted, the little runt was trying to ambush Kaz. He just hoped the kid would wait until Kaz came out of there. He had a vague idea what was going on inside the barn.

Ona slipped her arms around Kaz's neck as he pressed her against a support beam. She moaned softly, his large tongue wrestling with hers. His arms tightened around her, one hand sliding up her back beneath her thin top. He left her lips for her neck and she closed her eyes, savoring his touch. It was so incredible. His powerful hands held such tenderness when they touched her. She tilted her head back as his mouth moved a bit lower, brushing the edge of a breast. She gasped at the sensation, gently tugging at his neck.

A small piece of straw fell from the loft above to brush her cheek. Her eyes popped open and she found herself staring into a pair of familiar blue-gray eyes.

The family turned as a unit towards the barn at the sound of Ona's startled scream. Yoshi jumped from the porch's roof and was half way to the barn when the door burst open.

"You little twerp!" Kaz shouted as he chased Shinta from inside. "When I get my hands on you!"

Shinta was grinning like a cat that had caught a mouse as he laughed. Yoshi stopped and stared as the two ran past him towards the farmhouse. He turned his gaze back to the barn as Ona came out. Her cheeks were tinted red but she was snickering, a hand pressed to her mouth. Yoshi smirked as she came to walk beside him. "I was wondering what that little snot was up to."

She looked up at him. "You saw him sneak in there?"

"Yeah."

Her eyebrow rose. "And you didn't say anything?"

They stopped as they entered the ring of light created by the fire to watch Kaz dive at Shinta. The younger turtle was just a little faster and dodged his angry cousin. Yoshi snickered. "Nah, it keeps Kaz on his toes."

Shinta ducked past Mikey, who had a large pile of food on his plate. He spun, catching a sausage as it started to fall. "Phew." Kaz nearly crashed into him as he shot past him after Shinta. Mikey stumbled, simultaneously trying to balance his plate and catch another sausage that was escaping.

Shinta used the picnic table's bench to launch himself to the other side of the group that was surrounding it. Kaz growled and made to follow with his own leap. Raph ducked just in time to avoid being kicked in the face by Kaz's foot. "Hey!"

Kaz went to grab Shinta again but the youngster dove beneath the table. Kaz was too big to fit, but that didn't prevent him from trying to grab the kid anyways. "Come here, you little punk!" Shinta laughed, staying just out of range of his cousin's angry grip. The table jerked to one side almost tipping the food off.

"That's enough!" Leo said in his I'm-in-charge voice. Kaz sat back, a scowl in place. Shinta continued to snicker. "Come out from under there Shinta." Slowly, Shinta edged his way out the opposite end from Kaz. "Whatever you did, apologize."

Shinta glanced at his father and then at his cousin. "Sorry." Then he smirked. "But it was totally worth the look on your face."

"Why I ought to-!" Kaz growled, giving chase again.

Shinta laughed, bolting away into the house, Kaz on his heels. "You boys better not break anything!" April called from her place in a lawn chair.

Donnie sidled up next to Leo with the infant still in his arms. "Those two remind me of Raph and Mikey."

Raph snorted. "Mikey was way more annoying."

Mikey took a large bite of a hotdog and tried to talk around it. "That's because I'm the king!" He swallowed and grinned. "Hey, maybe I should show Shinta some of my pranks!"

Leo glared. "You do and I'll let Raph pay you back for all the ones he never got to."

Raph grinned. "That'd be a lot of 'em."

Yoshi and Ona joined them at the table, collecting a plate of food each. Sarah smiled at Donnie. "Here, let me hold him while you eat." He smiled back, letting her take their grandchild. She cuddled him and he wrapped his small fingers in her long hair. She looked up at Mira across from them and he followed her gaze. "It doesn't seem all that long ago Mira was this small."

He smiled, running his hand through her graying locks. "No, it doesn't." They settled down beside the others and Donnie started to fill his plate.

Raph looked up at them. "It's crazy to think how much we've all been through."

"Yeah, it just seems like yesterday that we found Sarah again." Mikey pointed out. "But it was more than thirty years ago."

"Gee, thanks for making me feel old, Mikey." Sarah rolled her eyes.

Mikey continued undeterred. "You guys remember that crazy gangster Shinju right? Sarah wasn't back three months and he tried to kill her!"

Leo frowned. "We remember Mikey."

-Flashback-

"Let her go!" Donnie shouted as he moved closer.

Shinju glared at the turtle. "You want her so bad; you may have what is left." In the blink of an eye, his blade came crashing down on her. Sarah was able to throw an arm up to stop the blow meant for her neck. At the same moment, Donatello cried out as he moved with lightning speed. His foot caught Shinju's chin, throwing his head back violently and with incredible force. Donnie ignored the man's lifeless form as it landed on the cement floor. Instead he quickly dispatched the other man beside Sarah. The other men had been taken care of and now everyone turned to Sarah.

She raised her eyes to meet Donnie's. "I'm sorry…" That's when he noticed the six-inch gash in her forearm and the quickly growing pool of blood at her feet. She began to collapse and he caught her.

-End of Flashback-

Donnie turned to his spouse and ran a finger along her scar. "That was a close one."

"Yeah, it was a good thing you two had already bonded." Leo took a sip of his soda.

Sarah smiled up at Donnie. "Yeah, it was."

"Maybe, but it wasn't such a good thing when Zenfered sent that creep Kroelon after her. They nearly died all over again because they were bonded." Raph reminded them.

-Flashback-

Donnie growled low and fierce as he was forced backwards by the huge alien. At last he stood directly in front of Sarah, who was starting to stir. "You won't touch her!"

Kroelon flung Marina to the side as he whipped out a laser-rifle. "I don't think you'll have much choice." Donnie avoided the direct hit by throwing the crowbar at the rifle, but it wasn't enough to block it completely and he was struck, throwing him backwards into the wall.

"Donnie!" Sarah shrieked as she pushed herself up and clambered to his side. The turtle blinked as he looked up at his mate. A cut on her forehead dripped blood down the side of her face. He opened his mouth to say something but Sarah cried out as a large blue hand took hold of her long dark locks.

Donnie tried to stand but was overcome with vertigo. "Sarah!" He shook his head in an attempt to clear it. She was moving further away from him. He could feel it. He looked up to see the large man fighting to gain control of the petite brunet. She broke free for just a moment, trying to get back to him.

"Donnie!"

He tried again to stand, using the wall as leverage. Another laser blast hit him, this time at full strength, and the world began to grow dark as Sarah's panicked cry echoed in his ears.

-End of Flashback-

"If it wouldn't have been for you guys, we would have died for sure." Donnie could still remember the incredible pain of being separated from his mate for so long and by such a great distance.

Mikey waved a hand. "It was nothing, bro. It wasn't your fault. Nobody knew about separation sickness back then."

"Yeah, but you two got to start bein' more careful." Raph groused behind a hamburger.

Leo chuckled. "Like you? You nearly flattened Cat when you first met her."

-Flashback-

Raph growled as he rounded another curve. He didn't see the other cycle until he was nearly on top of it. He swerved his bike skidding sideways along the cement. The other cyclist managed to jump the turtle and his now shredded bike.

Raph groaned from the ground where he'd slid to a stop. He was vaguely aware of the other cycle coming to a stop a few yards away. He rubbed his head as a pair of boots appeared in front of him. The person jerked off their helmet and glared at him. "Are you crazy! You could have killed me or yourself or both of us!"

Raph stared in shock at the woman that stood over him. She was gorgeous, with short blonde hair and startling green eyes. The black leather pants and jacket accentuated every curve. She was petite but not as small as Sarah. Though to Raph, Sarah had always seemed small even by normal human standards.

Perhaps it was his lack of response or maybe her anger had given way to relief, but she paused giving him a concerned look. "Hey, are you alright? Do you need an ambulance?"….

He went to take the bike again but she brushed him off and folded her arms. "First my phone." She held out her hand. "I won't call anyone." He handed it back to her begrudgingly. She stuffed in her pocket and maneuvered the bike so he could push it.

She moved back to her own bike which was black and chrome. "I'm Cat by the way."

"Raphael, but my bros call me Raph." He followed her slowly pushing the heavy bike with just one hand and keeping it balanced with his hip. Cat didn't lie. They were barely a block from her garage. An old sign hung over the large metal door that read Cat's Cycles….

-End of Flashback-

Cat snickered. "That was the best accident I was ever in." Yoshi smiled as he watched his mother lean up to peck his father's cheek.

In Sarah's arm the tiny turtle let out a small cry. She tickled his chin with a warm smile. "It sounds like someone's hungry."

K-three rose from the table. "I'll get the formula."

Mira walked around to her mother and gently lifted the small turtle from her arms. "There we go." She rested him against her shoulder and he buried his little face in her neck.

"It's totally weird seeing you with a baby, dudette. It doesn't seem like that long ago you were that small."

"Yeah, you remember the first time we babysat her?" Raph grinned. "You were a cute little munchkin."

Mira rolled her eyes, but Leo laughed. "And a handful."

Mikey snickered. "I just remember you guys let her eat worms."

-Flashback-

Mira pointed to the corner where she'd seen the wiggly thing. She didn't understand what they were upset about. It tasted just like her formula. Both Leo and Raph went to the corner. There was a place where the wall had begun to crumble a bit leaving a pile of dirt. Upon seeing a worm crawling through it, they had a pretty good idea. Raph gagged. "You think she ate one of those?"

Although they were turtles eating bugs and worms was not something they did on any regular basis, not when there were a lot better options. Leo picked up the worm and showed it to Mira. "Did you eat one of these?" Mira smiled and tried to grab it. "I guess that's a yes." He shrugged. "I don't know whether to be worried or relieved."

Mikey entered and placed the still hot pizza on the coffee table. "Alright guys, this is going to be awesome. It's a jalapenos and anchovies with extra chocolate sauce."

Mira crawled to the coffee table and pulled herself up. She peered down at the pizza with interest. Leo caught her hand as it reached for the unfamiliar food. "No, no Mira it's very hot. You'll burn yourself."

"Besides aren't you full of worm now?" Raph smirked.

Leo glared at him. "You were watching her too."

Mikey's eyes went wide in disgust. "You let her eat a worm? Eewww!"

-End of Flashback-

"Gross!" Mira's face showed pure revulsion.

Leo chuckled. "I think you liked it better than Mikey's pizza."

"Yeah, you threw that up all over the floor." Raph smirked at Mikey.

Donnie made a face. "Worms? Why haven't I heard that story before?"

Leo blushed a little. "It was a long time ago, Don."

There was a crash inside the house, sparing Leo the need for further explanation. A moment later K-three was shoving Kaz and Shinta out the back door. April frowned at them. "What was that?"

Kaz rubbed the back of his head, showing his best innocent grin. "You didn't want that vase did you, Aunt April? It was dusty and old and stuff."

April started to push herself out of the lawn chair with a great deal of effort, but K-three put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, I've got it." He handed Mira the formula and turned to glare at Kaz and Shinta. "You two stay out of the house. You're worse than a pair of hurricanes." The Turtleoid disappeared back inside.

"You boys better come eat before Mikey eats it all." Kala informed them. Kaz loped down the steps and sat on Ona's other side. She gave him a quick smile and he squeezed her leg beneath the table. Shinta hurried over to sit beside his father.

April smiled at them. This was her family. She'd never bothered to marry and have kids of her own, but Mira, Kaz, Yoshi, and Shinta were like her own. "Well, you aren't as destructive as a hurricane. That was really bad."

Leo frowned. "Yeah, it was. It totally destroyed the old lair."

Donnie wrapped an arm around Sarah, pulling her against his side with the memories. "That was the worst day of my life, not knowing what had happened to you or Mira…"

"Or Master Splinter." Mikey frowned, lowering his hamburger. "We had no idea where they were."

-Flashback-

"No! No!" Donnie shrieked. He could feel Sarah's panic swell inside him like a volcano.

Leo jumped into the driver's seat of the slider. "Come on!" The others jumped aboard. It was nearly a ten-minute ride back to the lair. They would have to hurry. The slider sped along the tunnels for only a couple of minutes before it had to slow due to the debris and raging current. When the space between their heads and the top of the tunnel became way too close for comfort, Leo pulled to a stop.

"What are you doing!" Donnie demanded, already pulling off his seat belt.

Raph grabbed him from behind. "We can't get through there, Donnie!"

"Let go! I have to get to them!" Donnie fought off his brother's arms.

"There's too much debris and the current's too strong. We can't swim through there even the slider is having trouble." Leo knew how his brother must be feeling. His mate and child as well as their father, could very well be lost to them. "We can't get through here. We'll have to find another way."

Donnie suddenly gasped as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Mikey grabbed his shoulder. "Donnie, what's wrong?"

Leo narrowed his eyes. "Donnie, tell us what's going on!"

"It's Sarah, she's hurt." He breathed through clenched teeth.

The brothers gasped. Leo came quickly back to business. "Are they alive?"

"I can only sense Sarah. She's unconscious, I think."

Mikey began to panic. "What about Master Splinter and Mira?"

"I don't know. I can't sense Mira the way Sarah can." Donnie choked back tears at the thought of his little girl drowning.

"If Sarah is alive I'm sure they are too." Leo assured his brothers. "Now we need to get to the surface, before we drown." Leo turned the slider and headed back the way they came. Spotting a grate that led into the subway, he turned the slider to break through. The trains had stopped running long ago, so there was no danger of being spotted or hit by one. The water here was quickly rising too and they were able to ride the slider nearly to the surface.

"Can you tell which direction she is?" Leo asked as they came to the top of the stairs.

Donnie closed his eyes. It was hard to focus. There seemed to be a buzzing noise inside his head. Forcing the noise aside he finally found the spark of fire that was always there. "This way!"

"What about Master Splinter and Mira?" Mikey ran behind his brothers.

"We'll just have to hope they are with her." Raph hoped with everything he was that he was right.

-End of Flashback-

Raph frowned. "We were all pretty beat up after that whole thing."

"That's when you built the new lair beneath the garage, right?" Mira was scooping some formula into the tiny turtle's mouth.

Leo nodded. "Yeah. But like Master Splinter used to say, home is where we are all together as a family."

"Well, I know I would have never found the new lair, if Mikey hadn't have found me." Kala smiled up at her husband. Mikey frowned, his memory swamped with visions of the battered and broken Kala. He swallowed hard, squeezing her hand.

"You're just lucky he was able to recognize you. You were in bad shape." Raph pointed out.

-Flashback-

Cat's eyes suddenly widened, a small cry escaped her as her hand flew up to cover her mouth. Raph followed her gaze over his shoulder to the elevator doors. "Mikey! What the-?"

The younger turtle was already moving to lay the limp form on the couch. "It's Kala! We have to help her!"

Raph blinked. "Kala...?" He wondered for a split second how anyone could determine who the pitiful creature before him was. Then he turned and called for help. "Master Splinters! Donnie! Leo! Come quick! We got injured!" He knelt beside his brother to examine the woman. Both her eyes were swollen shut and there was a long cut along her cheek, not to mention the varying shades of bruises that covered the remainder of her face. Raph placed a hand on Mikey's trembling shoulder. "We'll help her, Mike. Don't worry." …

Donnie shook his head as he handed the small flashlight to Sarah. "She definitely has a concussion and her arm is fractured, though I'm not sure how bad. I need to move her to the lab so I can X-ray it and set it properly." …

"This type of fracture is usually caused by someone twisting the arm behind the back with a great deal of force." Sarah moved to Kala's side and stroked a hand over her brow tenderly. "It's not the kind of wound you receive in battle. In fact, none of her injuries appear to be from combat."

Mikey's frown deepened. "And what does that mean?"

Donnie cleared his throat and exchanged a look with his wife. "Well, we agree they appear to be from...domestic violence."

A collective gasp went around the room. Mikey sputtered. "What! But she wouldn't...she couldn't...Oh, Kala..." Leo pulled up a chair and Mikey sank into it, burying his face in his hands.

-End of Flashback-

Kaz felt his stomach lurch. No wonder his mother never talked about her life in Dimension X. He'd never heard the full story until now and it made his blood boil. Raph had seen the anger cross his nephew's face. "Don't worry, he got his in the end."

"Yeah, but not before Kassic nearly killed Cat." Sarah reminded him.

Yoshi's head popped up. "What!"

A/N: This is just a two-shot and I'm posting both chapters back to back.