Title: Trust and Betrayal

Summary: Continuation from 'Destinations'.

Authors Notes: And that successfully eradicates more plot bunnies from my head. Thanks to Jaxink for saying I should go ahead and write another part to this ongoing story so many years later. There are still loose ends here, and I am working on another book in this series, but that one will really be the end. It ties everything up in a neat bow (if I manage to finish it).

Epilogue:

Italics indicate a flashback.

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."
William Shakespeare

The walk up the driveway was pleasant enough. The trees were still vividly colored, although many of the leaves had fallen. They crunched underfoot. It would have been even better to be out of the city if the sun was shining.

"Think it's gonna rain?" Mike questioned, glancing up at the leaden sky.

"Traditionally it rains when one of us gets married," Don noted. He twirled his closed umbrella. Don was at least prepared for the weather.

"Did it rain when you got married, Uncle Don?" Noelle asked wistfully. She still wished she had been in London to see it, although being in this wedding helped make up for it. She looked down at her dress again, making sure she hadn't gotten it dirty while walking with her uncles. It was a pretty pale green. Rachel said it was the color of celery, but she was just jealous because she wasn't even in the wedding party.

"Doesn't it always rain in London?" Raph interjected before Don could answer. Don shook his head at Raphael. "Elle, go check on the bride, will ya? If Leo has to wait much longer, he's gonna start doin' katas or somethin'," Raphael said to his niece. Noelle rushed up the driveway toward the old farmhouse, eager to do the errand. She wanted to see Sen in her wedding clothes anyway.

"And Elle, don't fall in that dress," Mike warned his daughter as she sprinted ahead.

The three brothers paused in their walk and looked over at the small rise to one side of the farmhouse. An ancient tree crowned the hill, and below a simple marker showed against the pale light of the sky. Leo stood over the marker, his head bowed.

"I wish he was here," Mike said softly. Don nodded.

"Sensei would have enjoyed today," Don agreed. Under the tree, Leo straightened and then started down the hill toward the driveway. When he reached his brothers, Raphael clapped a hand on Leo's shell, covered by a dark suit.

"There's still time to run," Raphael offered sincerely. Mike chuckled, but Leo just shook his head.

"No thanks," Leo replied. "Although you must be tired of being best turtle in all these weddings," he teased. Raphael shrugged. Maybe it wasn't his fate to be the groom, but two out of three of his brothers had chosen him to stand up for them. That had to count for something.

"Have you heard from Haven?" Mike asked. Raphael rolled his shoulders. When did the focus turn to him? This was Leo's day, after all.

"Last time I heard from her was when I got fired," Raphael explained shortly. Haven had called him to tell him his contract with the Utrom was ending. His services were no longer required. He didn't need to be told that Haven was done with him in other ways as well. If he had gone to her directly afterwards he might have salvaged it. He could have apologized, tried harder to be what Haven was looking for. But he hadn't.

"How's the teaching going, Donnie?" Leo asked, taking the heat off Raph.

"Good," Don replied. He was back in the science department at NYU. He was still researching, but not on Utrom technology. He had signed a contract with the Utrom before he left London agreeing to never attempt to replicate the Transmat. His calculations were destroyed, and the only remaining information was in his head. "Raph, Sam said you're thinking about starting a security business?" Raphael nodded. "With Sam?" Don questioned, not sure he had heard his wife right. Raphael and Samantha working together sounded like a recipe for disaster.

Raphael shrugged. He didn't see what the problem was. He could tolerate Sam. Most of the time, anyway. Speaking of Don's wife she appeared on the porch and waved at them. It must be time to get started.

"Time to put on the ball and chain," Raphael taunted, giving Leo a shove toward the farmhouse. Leo rolled his eyes, and started walking.

"I dunno, Leo. If I was getting a mother-in-law like yours I might reconsider," Mike joked.

Leo ignored his brothers' teasing. Taka had returned to Maora 2, and the Utrom had officially blacklisted her from Transmat transfers. She was essentially trapped on her home world. The Belgardian Hunters had sent a message to Leo, offering compensation for sending an assassin after him. As their idea of compensation was to kill Taka, Leo had refused. It was enough to know the Lady was confined to her own planet, and would hopefully leave them alone. Thinking of the hunters, Leo glanced at Raphael. The hunter, Nienna, had gone back to Belgard.

"Whatever happened with that assassin?" Don asked just as they reached the bottom of the steps, mimicking Leo's thoughts.

Raphael paused on the bottom step.

"Here," Nienna said, handing him a small vial of amber liquid. "A tool of the Hunter is poison. Next time you run into one …"

"Who says I will?" Raphael interrupted, but he accepted the antidote, tucking it into his shirt pocket. "Watch your left side when you're in a close fight," Raphael advised, nodding to her injured wrist. "You leave it open." Nienna smiled – the first real smile he had seen on her face. He laid a hand on her small shoulder. "Take care of yourself."

Only this warrior would presume to tell a Belgardian Hunter to take care.

"Hunters do not say goodbye," Nienna said. Her uncle was waiting impatiently on the Transmat platform. "We are confident a hunter will return, so we say 'good hunt'."

"Good hunt, Nienna."

"Good hunt, Raphael."

"Ready?" Leo asked, shaking Raphael from his memory.

"I'm not the one gettin' married, Leo," Raph said. "Question is are you ready?"

The brothers looked into the living room of the old farmhouse. The room had been cleared for the ceremony because it really did look like rain. Inside, Sen was standing beside Juliet. The fine embroidery on Sen's Maoran wedding robe glistened in the candlelight, but her smile of joy was brighter.

"Ready," Leo said, stepping toward his future.

Finis.