A/N

I just want to thank everyone for commenting and reading the story. Writings been a little hard the last few days so the updates might start slowing down. I am going to try to keep it to once a week if worse comes to worse but I digress. Another issue that keep coming up is what was happening with the turtles in the time April and Donnie were gone. I think I am going to make that a separate story or do some One shots off of the main story to better explain it since I think adding those years in would get confusing. Anyway let me know what you think. The last thing is I get some PMs and comments about what should happen next. Sadly (or rather positively since it provides for quicker updates), the story is pretty much written for the next few chapters so it's hard to rework unless its a minor detail in the editing, sorry. As always thank you for your lovely support.


Donnie looked down at her, wondering if there was any way he could love her more then he already did. The 'reunion' had been as close to a disaster as anything else he had done in the last few years but he felt they had pulled it out of the fire well enough. To his relief his brothers hadn't voiced their opinions; still that alone gave him a moments pause. He probably would have dwelt on it more in the past, when he had been the 'other' Donatello, just the smart brother, the one who was clever but clumsy with a crush on a girl who wouldn't even look at him twice.

He knew he was a different man now. A father with a family to care for, a beautiful mate and partner who just happened to be his best friend and the kind of man who would pull a gun on anyone who threatened that. Donnie shook his head at the memory, remorseful and more then a little embarrassed at his loss of control. There was guilt over his actions towards Casey but not as much as there should have been. Most of his self-recrimination stemmed from the knowledge that he had played his hand and lost control over something as miniscule as Casey Jones.

Moving towards the doorway to the common area of his transportable home Donnie reached up to rub his eyes in the dim light. He had to admit; he had acted so foolishly due to the ever-present uncertainty he still felt. He was well aware that April had favoured Casey before they left and had the entire situation in TCRI ended different their future would have been a vastly different one. Granted, he knew no one was capable of altering the past (yet) and that now he no longer felt the same insecurity he once had towards their relationship. April was his, just as he was hers, there was no debate about that anymore, but the rivalry was still there in the fact that it hadn't really been a choice April had made as much as the way circumstances had forced them down a certain path. The regret he felt surprised Donnie himself.

Hopping out of the small motor home he moved back to the common room of the lair where his brothers were still waiting. Mikey was sitting down while Leo and Raph were deep in conversation. Both seemed to be debating something (most likely him) when he joined them. As he approached all conversation stopped and three sets of eyes fixed upon him. He had the sensation that he was facing an inquisition. He let the silence hang for a moment between the three of them before necessity forced him to break it.

"I need help with transportation." He stated tentatively, gauging the reaction.

They all gave him a strange look but followed as he headed into the lab.

Sliding open the door as quietly as possible Donnie slipped into the dark lab. He paused a few feet in to take in the sight before him and couldn't help the smirk that spread across his lips. Four children were piled up on April's makeshift sick bed just as easily as they piled onto the couch. Janus sat on the floor, his back pressed against the cot and his head resting on his knees. Febrian was half off the cot with his face in Janus' shoulder and his legs tangled up in Marcus'. Marcus himself was on his stomach, his body flat and his shell gleaming in the light even as Julian had snuggled in with his turtle bother. In the strange light Donnie could see the shell pattern clearly on the skin of the smaller boy's bare back like a strange birthmark on his skin that extended from his shoulders all the way down. He gave a tender smile at the sight, even as he motioned for his brother's to come closer.

They did not.

"I can't carry them all at once and you'll save me time." He replied easily, before shaking his head, "I'm on practically no sleep and I guarantee I'm in for an early morning wake up call. I'd really appreciate the help."

He studied them as they looked at one another, engaging in that easy non-verbal communication he used to be a part of. He felt painfully like an outside as he watched them debate among one another before Leo nodded and the other two fell behind him, albeit hesitantly.

Deciding that speed and efficiency were called for Donnie began sorting limbs, pulling arms and legs free from the tangled pile. Bending down he lifted Julian first, motioning for Mikey to come over as he held the boy out. His younger brother looked fairly freaked out and Donnie felt a stab of sympathy. The first time he'd been forced to hold a baby Harue had been so tiny and so damaged he had felt helpless; even after when he had first held Julian the tiny body hadn't been more then six pounds in the beginning and he had been terrified of breaking him. It was different now of course, his son was hearty to say the least and as Donnie quickly positioned Mikey's arms he pressed the small body into them. Julian, far too used to being carried around, immediately snuggled in, wrapping his arms around Mikey and holding on without ever waking up.

He looked up at Donnie, his blue eyes wide with wonder before a huge smile spread across his face as he seemed to test how tightly the boy held by bounding lighting on the balls of his feet. Donnie found himself smiling and shaking his head at Mikey before turning to the next boy. Feb seemed to sense the attention and unconsciously rolled over, tossing his arm over the back of Marcus and nearly smacking Janus in the head with his opposite hand had Donnie not caught it in time.

"Raph come here." Donnie commanded.

His irritable brother shot him a look of pure disbelief, "Listen Donnie, I there is no way…"

Sighing, Donnie decided not to wait for a response, instead he moved forward with Febrian in his arms and dropped the boy into Raph's grasp. Not ever needing the same level of tender care as his brothers Febrian simply muttered in discontent before holding onto Raph the same way he did everyone else who carried him. Donnie shrugged, he'd once carried the boy back to bed by like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, he hadn't woken up then and it was unlikely he would wake up as long as Raph didn't drop him.

Marcus needed little tending now that the other two brothers were gone.

Leo, although just as nervous, seemed more eager to try and take on the challenge of holding a child. Without any preamble Donnie handed Marcus over to his eldest brother. While Mikey and Raph had been slightly preoccupied with their small, sleeping burdens their attention focused intently as Leo maneuvered Marcus in his arms.

"The others.. um… well why don't they…" Leo began, obviously curious but uncomfortable with directly asking the question. Donnie didn't need him to finish the thought, it was one that had plagued him for years as well.

"We don't know why." He replied softly, reaching over and laying a hand on his son's shell, "All the others were more like April except him. No idea why the Kraang decided to make one of them more visibly mutant when the others look like they do. It's one of the thousands of mysteries I intend to shed some light on here."

Leo nodded, before giving him a wry smile while trying to look at Marcus "It's strange to see another turtle, a little one I mean. He looks just like you."

"Tell me about it," Donnie found himself laughing softly, "Sometimes seeing him takes me off guard but he's got April's eyes so at least he's not an exact copy.

Seeing his brothers were all ready he reaching down to the base of the cot and smoothly picked up Janus, noting that it had been twenty four hours ago when he had carried this same sleeping son home after meeting his brothers.

It was no surprised his largest child woke up.

"Dad…" the little voice croaked out.

"Yes." Donnie replied as he moved ahead of his brother's motioning as the rest fell into line behind him, a small caravan of moving bodies all headed towards the motor home.

"I don't need you to carry me you know," Janus muttered, his voice distorting with a yawn as Donnie felt him tuck his head down.

"I know." Donnie replied soothingly.

"I'm nearly grown up." Janus murmured, falling asleep even as the words fell from his lips.

Donnie gave a chuckle as he hiked the boy up higher forcing Janus' arms to dangle loosely over his shoulders. He had years of experience lugging his children around but his brother's seemed to be taking the experience in stride.

Jumped down towards the motorhome he eased open the door and moved inside. One handedly he pulled the futon couch out and gently laid Janus on top of the padded base. The confined space made it near impossible for his brothers to follow him while holding the boys so instead Donnie just reached out for each child and tucked them in. With the door open his brother's could glimpse inside and delicately he took Julian to the back and easily slipped their youngest in with April, hoping that by placing him near his mother the toddler wouldn't throw a fit in the night.

He moved back towards the sofa bed, reaching up into the top compartment and removing the thick blankets that they stowed away there. The others had crammed in while he was back and they stood awkwardly in the space, watching both him and analyzing his home. In what was becoming a theme for the night Donnie felt a fit of self-consciousness overtake him. The place wasn't perfect (far from it) but he and April had managed to live out of it for years, making it a home for their small family. He had never considered what his family would think of his living arrangements.

"Daddy…"

Donnie turned from his own thoughts to Marcus who was now, tucked onto his side.

"Yeah Buddy?" Donnie found himself whispering back as he bent down to look his son in he eyes.

"Love you." Marcus replied sleepily, reaching up and hugging him loosely before letting go and snuggling next to his brothers.

Donnie couldn't help the smile.

After ensuring everyone was sleeping and unlikely to make a mad dash in the night he moved out of the sleeping area and back into the tracks towards the lair.

"I think I should probably go to sleep myself." Donnie began.

"Noooo…" Mikey whined.

Turning Donnie shot a perplexed look at his younger brother.

"I gotta go with Mikey on this one." Raph stated, "After today there is no way I'm going to sit around and wait for your explanation. You owe us."

"Guys." He began, "I told April…."

He didn't really have time to say a word as Raph and Leo both flanked him on either side. It had been a good long while since someone had gotten the drop on him and Donnie wasn't ashamed to say that the fact his brothers were able to do it was not all that surprising.

"I really shouldn't be here." he began, "I need to get back to the trailer."

Soon enough he was being dropped onto the common area where he had just come from, this time surrounded by family. It was an odd sensation the combination of surreal and familiarity blending together. His eyes constantly drifted back to the trailer where his family lay, sleeping and vulnerable. He hated it. Hated the fact that he was separated from them and hated the fact that the meager separation that his current situation entailed bothered him so thoroughly.

"Dude, chill, were not going to set the thing on fire." Raph scoffed, "You can stop staring at it now."

"Yeah seriously," Leo added, " They're all asleep and it's been years. We need to talk. Figured you might want to talk too."

Donnie shrugged one shoulder while attempting to turn his attention to his brothers.

"Talking doesn't really come easy to me anymore." He sighed, "It's been awhile since I've been able to trust anyone other the April."

"Well then you don't have to talk." Raph stated, moving towards him.

It wasn't that he didn't expect Raph to hit him. In all the scenarios he had run over the years Raph hit him nearly 90 percent of the time. What he wasn't expecting was the combo; the shot to the face was followed up by a knee to the stomach and a roundhouse kick that had him laid out on the hard floor tasting his own blood. Pain blossomed at the points of impact but, to his credit, he didn't fight back. He knew he deserved to some extent. Still, it didn't stop him from slowly sitting upright and rubbing his now throbbing jaw.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Raph raged, "You took off, disappeared for years and then escaped and DIDN"T TELL US. We thought you were dead! Do you know what that's like? No, wait you don't because you knew where we were."

From his position on the floor he took stock of the situation. Raph seemed satisfied with the physical pain that had been inflicted and wasn't moving in for a second round. Leo watched the entire thing play out with a calm exterior that seemed to be the refined form of his adolescent leadership techniques and Mikey just looked at him with appraising eyes, waiting for Donnie own reaction to dictate his. The realization that they had all grown up his him just as sudden as Raph had. Still, there was affection in their gazes, hurt at his disappearance but coupled with enough respect to hear him out. It was odd being in their company once more and he couldn't deny the connection was still there.

"I'm sorry." Donnie stated in a thoroughly defeated tone, "We wanted to come back, I swear to you we did but we couldn't. I couldn't risk contact, I couldn't risk communication. The odds were against us and I'm sorry but I just couldn't"

"You couldn't even send word?" Leo asked now, his eyes skeptical, "Not even a text message. I think if you're going to play that hand then you're going to have to break it down for us. Because Raph is right Donnie, that's a pretty shitty thing to do to your family."

He found himself musing about his own children and the link between his sons. He had done his very best to help them forge a bond between them simply because his connection with his own family had been the defining factor of his life. He was being given the opportunity to repair that bond and he chastised himself for his own hesitation.

Carefully, he forced himself to his feet and tried to ease the tension out of his body.

"Now would be the time to talk Dude," Mikey supplied, cyan eyes wide and hopeful.

"Does anyone else want to him me before I start?" Donnie asked, smiling a little despite his rapidly swelling lip.

"I think we're good." Leo replied with a slight shake of the head, "For now."

Moving to one of the seats built into the area he eased himself down. He took in a few cleansing breaths, forcing the same old calm over his body before he reached over and smoothly began undoing the buckles that kept his shirt in place.

"Yeah, been meaning to ask," Leo cut in, "What's with the clothes? Is that some strange Kraang thing?"

"A necessity when you've been where I've been." He replied simply, as he pulled the mask away from his neck where it had been bunched up and eased the shirt off his shoulders, "It kind of explains part of the story better then I can with words."

Carefully he pulled the cloth back, easing out of it before letting it hang around him so that his torso was completely revealed. Their collective gasp seemed to be enough to prove his point. He grimaced himself as his eyes caught the mess that was his forearms. The mottled flesh ran from his wrists to his elbows along the outer part of his arms, a mass of shining scar tissue; a testament to one of the many different endurance trials the Kraang had set up for him. He knew it could have been much worse, he had managed to quell the burn before lasting damage had set in but it had taken ages to heal, especially without proper medical treatment. The memory of the burns haunted him with phantom pain of the injury and the accompanying infection that had followed. Had it not been for another mutant with healing abilities he would have died from the pain alone. His arms were not the extent of the damage. His plastron showed the scarring of many, many times spent under a blade.

The Kraang had taken him apart and put him back together more then once. He had been aware and conscious for the entire procedure multiple times. Other evidence of his time spent in captivity became more and more apparent, as he stood up to move his pants. His legs, while in better condition then they ever had been as far as muscle tone, bore the same scars as his arms with thick long pale lines crossing them; Plasma rifle scars, long marks where the skin had been scorched and healed; a gouge where one of their blades had torn into the flesh. Accompany all of it were the pock marks were the trackers had been pulled, little indents of flesh here and there that had never grown back. He was a roadmap of pain. It was surprising how physical all his scars where when he knew that April had come out of the experience physically unscathed but mentally battered. It was also strange to be exposed in such a way, even if it was in front of his family. In all his years April had been the only one to see the damage wrought, April and those who had been there. His scars served as visual reminders of the Kraang and what he was fighting for, but also were an obvious disconnect; the point at which his life and his brother's lives had diverged.

"Holy shit." Raph muttered.

Leo and Mikey remained silent but Mikey looked like he might bawl at any moment. Donnie found he couldn't look at his most sensitive brother.

"The Kraang aren't exactly the best hosts, especially when you're fighting to get free," he chucked mirthlessly, "I survived though, there were others who did make it out of there as well off as I did."

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, "There are other? Mutants?"

Donnie nodded, "Lots of mutants. The Kraang consider mutants to be a legitimate hybrids. They create them for every world they plan on colonizing, I am not sure the purpose exactly but most are created in a laboratory setting and are closely monitored; like Leatherhead or the Newtralizer. What happened here, on Earth with us, was an aberration- something that was never supposed to occur. Still, it did and it was more successful then they thought it could be. That meant they were very interested in me."

Donnie leaned back, letting his head loll behind him. He closed his eyes and let his mind anchor itself in the present, reminding himself that talking about it did not call the Kraang down on him. It had been so long since he had told his story, since there was anyone around who hadn't already known it. It felt strange to try and remember.

"I think it's why I wasn't destroyed with the initial batch of misfit mutants they brought in. I couldn't tell you exactly what happened." He replied softly, "It's been awhile and honestly I don't ever want to talk about it again. Suffice to say it was...unpleasant."

He grimaced as he felt the phantom pain of a scalpel cutting into his flesh, as he heard the echoes of April's screams in his mind.

"When they took us at first they blinded us both. We went through the portal into Dimension X space and were pretty much at their mercy. I passed out from lack of oxygen and when I woke up we already in the observation booths," he said, his eyes closed as he tried to picture the moment he had seen her on the other side of the glass, "We were held in clear cubicles, a wall separating us. I couldn't get to her and at the time, she couldn't see me"

"They kept us in cages, like animals.. The walls of the labs were lined with them. They had toilets and a sleeping palette but nothing else. For the first few days it was nerve wracking but now bad; boring mostly as they just walked back and forth in front of us most of the time. The experiments were mild in the beginning, stuff like how much electricity we could handle, problem-solving challenges, and endurance trials. Not pleasant but not nearly as deadly as they became. " he said softly, "Then the fights began and following those the first mutants began to go mad. There's only a certain amount of strain a mind can take before sanity gives way to something else, something darker. Some species are more equipped to handle it then others and in the end we always knew who was going to lose it next. The larger predators were usually the first. They'd go mad, and then the Kraang would cut off their food for days and set them loose in the arena to attack the rest of us. I was able to meditate to some extent and that kept me sane; being able to leave my body and let my mind go to a safer place. April and I were the only ones who had that. Many of the others didn't even need the arena, the screaming was enough to set a few people into biting their wrists open."

He shook his head, a cold darkness coloring his tone, "I wish I had been able to teach the others but the only contact we had was in the arenas or testing area. It never changed;, some killed themselves, others turned and the rest of us fought. The ring was a Kraang disposal site more then anything else. They would come at us and we would have to end it for them. It was more of a mercy then it was murder but that certainly didn't make it feel any better, plus there was no choice involved. Kill or be killed. The first time, when we refused to attack, Jackyl took out five of us before we could put him down. By the second time we knew better."

He let his voice drift off for a moment. He knew he was staring off but it hardly mattered, at this moment he was not at home he was somewhere far away, scared and desperate. The world was a dark swirling memory and he fought not to be dragged down into it's depths.

"Every time they took April she'd come back worse than before. The glass between us would lift and I would become her caretaker. The first time she was in so much pain she wasn't even able to lift her head. I had to feed her for two days. The second time she returned she was blind. The third time paralyzed from the waist down. For the first days of her return she didn't even know where she was, she would just beg me to let her go or to kill her. The others like April were in similar states. The human Kraang were usually partnered with a mutant. April and I were one of three couples that had known one another before the Kraang had taken us, the others were paired in the labs." Donnie continued, recalling the scared faces of those he had spent his time in hell serving with, "I knew we couldn't keep going so I began orchestrate an escape. The next time I was taken for examination I managed to steal a Kraang portal device. I reworked it and made in localized, allowing us to pass through the cell."

He smiled to himself, "April knew what the escape plan was but she also knew that they had taken samples from her. We'd talked about it before and agreed that we needed to destroy the DNA they had taken. Once I blew the cage controls I informed the others where the DNA labs were and left a map up on the main view screen for everyone else to use. The moment we were free April sent the human partners a mental map of instructions. April and I set off. Each couple was given their own specific designations; the numbers were read off every time we were taken so we were already aware of them. The Kraang comm systems led us to the correct labs. And that led us to the children."

He paused, wincing at the state of things. At just how horrible the situation had been before shaking his head, "It was bad. When we walked in…. they were…. It was sick…those were OUR children. My children…"

His voice clogged in his throat he needed to collect himself again. Painfully he tensed his fists and closed his eyes tightly, banishing the nightmares that had been only too true.

"We got as many as we could," he continued on, not daring look at his brothers, "I gave us some leeway but I set the ship to blow itself apart from the lab. I hope I took out as many of those sick bastards as possible. We managed to get to the larger dimensional portals and get out before the explosions started."

Donnie lifted his eyes, looking at his brothers. Three sets of eyes were staring at him, shocked and enthralled.

"We did what we could for the first few months. We were scared, alone and neither of us had any idea where we could possibly be, really we were just relieved when we figured out it was Earth. The children were a challenge; five kids in the wilderness." He laughed coldly, "It was amazing. We lived in a cave for a month. We stole clothes for them from donation boxes. We broke into supermarkets, houses, really anywhere. Do you know how hard it is to steal boxes of diapers and formula? And then have nowhere to heat it?"

"Five?" Leo asked, his brow crinkling in confusion, "But you've got four..."

"One didn't make it." Donnie stated, trying to keep his voice even, "The youngest, Harue. He died shortly after we escaped. I guess he wasn't developed enough to be on his own yet. We tried …I couldn't…"

He took a moment to pause and think of the baby. He had held the little boy in his arms. He had felt the dead weight of the tiny body and had pressed the little form tightly against his own body, between him and April, trying desperately to keep their young warm. He'd been so tiny, so pale even with his green skin. He could see his strange toes and big dark eyes as they closed. Sometimes Donnie wondered if he would have been a ginger like April and his other human like children or if he would have been more turtle like.

He jumped as he felt someone touch his arm, flinching automatically at the unusual contact. Turning his found himself look at Leo, his brother's eyes bleeding concern.

"Sorry" Donnie replied sheepishly, "It's just, well, April and I still both have a hard time with Harue."

He forced the pain back down as he usually did and tried to focus again, " The Kraang hunted for us night and day, sometimes we had to keep moving for days on end, taking shifts sleeping when one of us became too tired to stay awake. Every movement was tracked, every motion and we didn't even have a means of communication. Somewhere in the south I found the motorhome over there in a dump. It didn't take much to get it working again and then we stole it and voila, mobile home."

Donnie smiled at the huge vehicle that still housed his family. It was ugly but it had certainly done it's job. April had been so excited when he had first brought it back; granted she had been less excited when she realized how much cleaning it would need but he had taken it in stride. It was their first home together.

"Anyway, we survived. That's the important part. " Donnie continued, turning to his brothers, "So did many of the other mutants, families. I've been keeping in contact with them. Some were retaken by the Kraang, some died and others, well other are having the same problem I'm having right now."

Donnie paused for a moment, wondering how to word the problem.

"April's been having episodes." He began, "It's been the same with the other Kraang human hybrids but April's been able to hold out longer, in fact she didn't really start having problems until a few weeks ago. I don't know if its her specific genetic make up or the fact I am the primary line of defense and April can physically fight before she tend to revert to her telepathy but now, when she does use it, it's damaging."

"Like what happened when she demolished Casey," stated.

"Yeah." Donnie replied, "That was a minor incident. She wasn't trying to hold it too long and she'd been using her powers throughout the day in order for us to get down here. The other mutants have said their humans are suffering psychosis, paralysis, loss of sanity and, in one case, comatose."

He let his head drop to his hands, pressing his elbows against his knees, "April's stubborn and it's hard to stop using her powers especially when the boys need her to train them. "

"You mean your kids can do that telepathy shit too?" Raph grimaced.

Donnie nodded, "As far as we can tell they all inherited it. All four. And there are other strange things going on too. Janus is advancing very quickly and Julian, the baby, he's not speaking. I mean, he was the equivalent of pre-me when we took him, but still, he's not developing the way I thought he would. I'm positive he's communicating with the other three and maybe April on a subconscious level but I have no way of knowing. The thing is I need to test them."

"Because the same thing that is happening to April is happening to them?" Mikey asked.

Donnie smiled, "No, that's the strange part, I don't think it is. That's the reason I have to test them. I need to know if this is effecting their minds the same way it's effecting April's and if it's not then what it is about the boys that their brains capable of handing the strain?"

He looked at his brother's imploringly, his eyes focused and hyper aware, "It's why we're back. I'm going to need to get into the Kraang labs and bring the equipment back here if I have half a chance of helping her and the others like her. Listen, I know not telling you guys we we're okay was an asshole move…"

"Yeah it kind of was." Raph snapped angrily, "It's not that I'm not happy to have you back, I am, but you've got to admit, not tell us was kind of weak, that's not just going to blow over"

"Yeah dude," Mikey replied, "Not cool."

Donnie nodded, "I know and I'm glad were talking about this now, just us, but you've got to understand I needed to protect my family. I'm sorry I hurt you in the process but logically this was the only way. We couldn't risk discovery and we certainly couldn't risk heading home. This was the first place they would look for us and the epicenter of Kraang activity. It was better to just let it be and deal with the few scouts that came our way then try to force our way back here. Either way, right or wrong, April could be dying. Our April, my April. I will make it up to you, I will spent the next decade making it up to you all, I swear, but right now I'm asking for your help. As your brother."

There was a silent moment as his brothers looked at one another.

"Of course we'll help. Anyway we can." Leo stated.

Donnie felt the relief as if it were a physical thing, passing through his body. His eyes fixed on his brothers and his smile was utterly genuine.

"I don't know how to thank you." He replied honestly, his voice choked with emotion despite the fact that his face betrayed very little.

"I'm sure we'll think of something." Raph smirked, "Ten years is a long time."