Chapter 8, A matter of time

(Leo's P.O.V)

I stood there and watched how Raph sat with Donnie and caressed his forehead. It was obvious that he felt horrible, so I decided not to lecture him about not being careful in a battle. I sat down beside him and patted his shoulder, and when he looked at me I tried to smile, but I knew it wasn't much of a smile, but he took the gesture as a way of comfort. And then he did something I only seen him do with Master Splinter when we where only kids. He rested his head against my shoulder and started to cry. I was stiff for a few seconds, the move was so unexpected. But after a little while I wrapped my arms around him and he continued to sob into my shoulder. Mikey sat down on the other side of Raph and wrapped his arms around his neck from behind, and for the first time in a very long time he didn't shake of Mikeys arms and let himself be embraced by his family. When we after a few minutes broke the contact, I made Raph look into my eyes.

"It's gonna be okay Raph. We'll get him back to normal, I promise." Raph looked in my eyes a few seconds before answering with a nod and a smile while he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Eh... Guys? I hate to break the touching moment, but I think I've found something." I heard April say. That got everyone's attention. Raph and I ran to her and sat beside her and Mikey crawled up on the couch-back and Master Splinter stood behind us, and we all waited to April to explain what she had found.

"What'cha got April?" Mikey asked very impatient, but this time not because of he was eager to something like he used to, now he was worried for his big brother and wanted to know what was wrong and how to fix it.

"Well, I don't understand all of these notes, most of them are beyond my comperhansion, but apparently Shredder got a sample of the mutagen, and Stockman managed to modify it. Now it dosen't only change your appearance, it changes your mind to, in Donnies case, it's pushed his reasoning aside and left is the mind of a brute, a monster..." She paused a few seconds, but before I could ask if there was more she continued. "He's condition is getting worse by the minute. The new mutagen is reacting violently with the original one in his bloodstream. The mind is breaking down, it's only a matter of time before... I mean... Before his mind... Well... His body will still be whole, but the Donatello we know, will be lost... Forever." She finished the speech and lowerd head a bit as she did. All of us looked at each other in shock. Was that really gonna happen? No, there is no way I'm gonna let that happen.

"That's not gonna happen! We can't let that happen! Donnie has always found solutions and cures for us! Now we are gonna help him! I don't care what I have to do, to do it!" Everyone was looking at me for a few minutes, then Master Splinter started talking.

"Of course we are going to help your brother in any way we can! Every problem has a solution, and every question has an answer. Perhaps we need to ask other questions. Maybe we need to think beyond the box to find a solution." He said as he put a hand on my shoulder. "Let all of us take a few minutes to think about how to help Donatello." He continued, and with that we all sat down to think.

(Mikeys P.O.V) There we all sat, in the living room. Thinking about our problem. It wasn't usually my strongest part, to think. I have i short attention span, and I was easily distracted by, almost anything. But today I was unbelievably focused on my task. It was almost as I didn't recognize myself. I thought about every time Donnie had thought of something to improve the lair, to help us or simply his own inventions. I wonderd how he did it. Thought of some many ideas without any problems. Like when we where trying to get Aprils cellphone, and he was just spitting out ideas of how to get past Dogpound, the purple dragons and Stockman. Stockman... My blood was starting to boil. How could he have the nerve to do this?! To our brother!? My thoughts was interrupted by Raphs voice.

"Okay, this dosen't seem to get us anywhere fast! We must come up with something fast or Donnie is down for the count!" I thought Raph was going to say that we needed to find Stockman and kick his butt, but maybe he had realised the seriousness of the situation and started to think about what was best for Donnie. But apparently Leo had come up with something.

"I hate to say it, but our only option right now seems to be, going to Shredder and Stockman and convince them to give us the antidote for Donnie. It's our only way right now." Raph, I, April and even Master Splinter looked at him in shock. He looked back at us as calm as ever and waited for an answer. And it came.

"Have you gotten pepperoni on the brain from the last pizza we ate?! We can't go to the enemy and ask for help! That would be like asking the robber to rob you! We can't let Donnies fate rest the hands of those goons!" Raph practically bellowed in his face. But before Leo could answer or Raph could continue, Master Splinter stepped in between them and said,

"Both of you, please calm yourselves. This is only going to upset your brother. And I think that Leonardo is right. Sometimes you need to ask for help, by people you do not get along with."

"Get along with? They want to see us dead with our heads on a silver plate! Shredder goal in life is to see you dead! Sensei, we can't go to them for help!" Raph said with a mixture of anger and desperation. Master Splinter sighed and looked at only him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Raphael, I share your anger and your feelings about this, but we need to think about what is best for Donatello."

"Even if that means making a deal with the devil." Leo finished for Master Splinter. Raph sighed and realised it was no use to protest against Master Splinter and Leo. So he gave up.

"Okay, I give up. But what are we gonna say? 'Hey, Shredder! We need you to help our brother to get back to a normal mutant turtle, would you please help us with a cure?' I'm not so sure he is gonna help us that easily." He said with reluctance. Leo shook his head.

"We'll have to bargain with him about that, anything we can give him that's not Splinter." Leo said and looked at Raph with eyes that said, 'We have to do this or Donnie is done for' and Raph didn't give any answer to that. We just went to each direction to get what we needed to get when we got to the monster himself, Shredder himself. Donnie, who had woken up looked around in confusion. I stopped to see what he was doing. He just looked around until his eyes fell on me. His eyes squinted to slids and almost flew out of place to attack me, and if it wasn't for the chains he whould have ripped my head of. We really needed that cure, Tadachini. Cause if we didn't have Donnie in the team, we whouldn't be a team anymore. With pain in my eyes I walked away to my room to grab my weapons so we could get going to Shredders. One question remainedthough, How on earth whould we get Donnie over the Shredders place?!

A/N: Okay another chapther is done and up on the site! Please review. And for those who don't know, "Tadachini" means immediately in japanese. So next chapter, we are gonna meet, The Shredder! Dun, dun, dun! Wish the guys luck, cause they're gonna need it! Nah, I'm kidding. Or am I? Am I gonna kill my favorite turtle? Again, please review. (P.S, I'm sorry if I spell wrong sometimes, but english is not my mother tounge so have mercy on me, please.)