Chapter 3: The Horrid Truth
A/N: So here's the next chapter as promised. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. It means the world to me that you're enjoying this story and that it has resonated with you. I must say, it feels good to write about the 2003 series again. And now without further ado, here's the next chapter.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. The 2003 Turtles are the property of Mirage Studios. I only own the plot of the story and nothing more.
Don woke up and felt much better than he had last night. Stretching his muscles, he got out of bed and made his way downstairs, hoping that Mikey would have something for him to eat since he was hungry. He found Leo in the living room reading a book.
"Hey, Donnie, how are you feeling?" Leo asked.
"Much better," Don answered. "I'm pretty hungry though."
Leo smiled. "Mikey's in the kitchen. I'm sure he'll have something for you to eat."
Don nodded and went to the kitchen where his orange-clad brother was busy making breakfast for the family.
"Hey, Mikey, what are we having for breakfast?" Don asked. "I'm starving."
Mikey's eyes widened in fear at his brother's words. "You're not hungry for our flesh this time, are you?" he asked, his voice quivering a little as he spoke.
Don was taken aback by his brother's words. Had he really been that bad? "No, of course not," he answered. "I just want regular food."
Mikey sighed in relief. "Phew! For a moment there, I thought I was gonna have to run for my life. So, what do you want, bro?"
"Whatever you have will be fine," Don answered.
Mikey smiled. "You got it, Donnie. One order of bacon and eggs coming up."
Don's other brothers and Splinter arrived next and waited while Mikey made breakfast for them. Once it was done, they all dug in. Don savored the taste and was grateful that they had such a good cook in the family. He was still burning with a desire to know what happened to him and how his brothers had saved him, but he knew he couldn't do anything right now. He would wait until after practice.
After breakfast the four Turtles assembled in the dojo. Don smiled as he did some stretches, ready to get back into practicing now that he was better.
"Donatello, you will sit out," Splinter instructed.
Don gaped at his father. "But, Sensei, I'm feeling good!" he protested. "I'm just as capable of practicing as the others!"
Splinter shook his head. "You are still healing from your ordeal, and it would be prudent if you sat out of the exercises for now. You still need your rest."
Don opened his mouth to protest, but a stern look from his father silenced him. With a defeated sigh, he trudged to the sidelines and sat next to Splinter. Mikey gave him a look of sympathy which Don appreciated, but he didn't want their pity. He wanted to fight as he always did. He sat and watched as Splinter led them through some warm-up exercises, wishing he could be out there. How much longer was this going to last? Was he could going to be barred from practicing forever? And what about patrols? Would he be forced to stay down with his father while his brothers went out to fight?
Once the warm-ups were done, Splinter paired Raph and Leo together to fight while Mikey sat out with Donnie since he didn't have a partner.
"Sensei, that's not fair," Don said. "I can spar with Mikey."
"I think I made myself perfectly clear, Donatello," Splinter said firmly. "You are not to engage in any sort of physical activity at the moment. You are still healing."
"And I told you that I'm fine!" Don argued.
"But we do not know if you will lapse back into your other state," Splinter told him.
Don rolled his eyes. "Oh, so are you a doctor now?" he sniped. "I was cured, Sensei. I'm fine. I should be allowed to fight."
"And I am your father and sensei, and what I say goes," Splinter retorted. "And may I remind you, Donatello, that before you ever learned about medicine or anything else, I was the one who took care of all four of you when you were small. So, yes, I do have some knowledge of things, and I am going to make sure you are healed first before you are cleared to train. Now, I will hear no more about it."
Don huffed and turned away. This was definitely the worst day of his life.
Mikey nudged him. "Sorry it's like that, bro," he said. "But you know Splinter's just worried about you. We all are."
"Yeah, but you guys act as though I'm going to suddenly mutate before your eyes," Don replied. "It's just not what I want. I want to be normal, Mikey. I want to do things like I used to."
"And you will, bro," Mikey reassured him. "You just have to give it some time."
But Don didn't want to give it some time. He wanted to do the things he normally did. Practice ended, and everyone dispersed. Splinter approached Don, but before he could say anything, Don spoke up.
"Guys, I want to meet in the living room," he said. "I have some questions I want answers to."
Splinter nodded, and they all headed to the living area. Once they were all seated, Leo asked, "So, what's this all about, Donnie?"
"I want to know what happened to me," Don replied. "I know you obtained a cure, but I want to know how you did it."
The Turtles and Splinter looked at each other and communicated through some unspoken signals. Don waited while Leo took a deep breath and then spoke.
"You underwent a secondary mutation," the blue-clad Turtle began. "We had no way to obtain a cure, so we went to Agent Bishop. He promised us a cure but only if we retrieved an artifact from Karai. We did that, and at first, Bishop wasn't going to give us the cure, but he did with Leatherhead's help. We cured you and then went home."
Don's mouth gaped open, and horrible guilt coursed through him. His brothers had made two deals with two devils in order to cure him. They had allied with two of their worst enemies to save his life!
He bowed his head. "I'm so sorry I put you through that," he whispered.
"It wasn't your fault, Donnie," Raph soothed. "You would have done the same for us."
"No, I wouldn't have!" he snapped. "I would have found a way to cure you without resorting to making deals with enemies! This just proves that I'm a weak link in the team. Without me, you guys will fall apart!"
"No, we won't," Leo reassured.
"And you're not going anywhere, Donnie," Mikey said gently. "You're here."
"But what if I'm not?" Don whispered. "What if something happens, and I'm gone?"
"We'll make sure that doesn't happen," Leo reassured him.
"It may not be enough," Don said.
"What are you talking about, my son?" Splinter asked him.
Don took a deep breath and let it out. "I know you guys talked about where Ultimate Drako sent you, but I didn't. I was sent to a future where Shredder ruled. You guys weren't together, and the Donatello of that world had been gone for thirty years. So I banded you guys together and we defeated Shredder, but in the end…it wasn't enough. You guys were killed, and I was alone! This is what I mean, guys. I don't know if that Donatello abandoned them or if he died, but either way, it wasn't a good thing!"
The others sat in stunned silence, hardly daring to believe what Don just told him. Finally, Leo spoke up.
"It was just an alternate reality, Donnie," he soothed. "Now that we know what happened, we can prevent it from becoming a reality. You're here with us now, and you're not going anywhere."
"But I could have," Don reminded him. "If you guys hadn't found the cure, I could have died or killed you before that."
"Do not dwell on what could have been, Donatello," Splinter said wisely. "You are here now, and you are safe. That is all that matters. The important thing is that you heal so you can be your old self again. I know you are not happy with what I have said, but just remember that I am protecting you from yourself and from any harm that may befall you or your brothers."
Don sighed. "I know, Master Splinter, and I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier," he apologized. "This is just so frustrating!"
"I understand, my son," Splinter replied, putting a paw on his son's shoulder. "We will deal with this the best way that we can."
Don bowed and retreated to his lab. He was so tired of all of this! And what hurt him the most was what his brothers had been forced to do to save him! Well, no more. Don was going to make sure he was the best ever and that he would never have to be saved again. With this aim in view, Don decided that at night he was going to train in secret. He was never going to be the weak link that cost him his family! And once he was able to, he was going to make sure Bishop and Karai paid for what they'd put them through!
A/N: And another chapter comes to a close. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.
