A giant thank you to Amonraphoenix for beta reading this chapter for me, you ROCK and are beyond AWESOME!

also a big thank you as well to my lovely reviewers, you know who you are! for leaving your feedback and wonderful words of encouragement.

Please enjoy!

Chapter 12

Leonardo was taking deep calming breaths, trying to wrap his head around the fact that the Donatello sitting on the arm of the chair in front of him wasn't his brother; not completely anyway. His mind tumbled around in a jumble of thoughts as he remembered every confused conversation and dream that Donatello had experienced, and found it horrifying. And because they had been so convinced that Donatello was insane, their Donatello -their real brother's soul- was slowly being eaten by another, stronger version of his brother from a parallel universe.

He looked at the woman clutched in Raphael's arms. He pointed his katana blade towards her throat the cut across her cheek an angry red as he tried to fight back a twinge of remorse for cutting her smooth alabaster cheek.

"How do we free the other Donatello once we get our Donny back?" Leonardo ground out. "And his brothers, how do we free them?"

The woman turned her glorious green gaze towards him and he avoided it, looking away, his heart hammering uncomfortably in his chest.

Fear filled him as he tried to fight against the soft, alluring, haunting cadence of her words. She and Donatello both explained how there was nothing they could do to free Donatello's brothers. The mention of the Devil sent icy terror flowing through his veins and he knew that there was nothing that he could say or offer to make his situation any better, but he offered one up anyway.

"Then we free you from Nightmare."

Donatello protested this. Leonardo could not imagine why Donatello would want to be a virtual slave to anyone, let alone whatever kind of woman Nightmare was.

"Only death can set Donatello free." Nightmare explained softly.

Leonardo couldn't believe it, any of it. It had to be a lie and he told her this, even though he knew in his gut that she was telling the truth. He didn't know why, he didn't trust her and was frightened of her for reasons his mind couldn't even seem to comprehend, but somehow believed her.

Leonardo gripped his katana more firmly, ignoring the blazing pain that throbbed in his other shoulder.

"You must have forced him." Leonardo interjected desperately. "There is no way the Donny I know would have agreed to…to become someone's pet, their slave..."

"I did it of my own free will, Leo." Donatello quietly refuted Leonardo's claim of coercion.

"Donny…why?" Leonardo whispered as his heart clenched in horror within his chest.

"Love," Donatello answered simply.

Leonardo's gaze shot to Donatello who was looking up at him with half lowered lids, his head tipped down towards his hands which lay in his lap. Disbelief coursed through Leonardo as he attempted to wrap his mind around Donatello being in love with... a human? The way Donatello had said the word it was obvious that he wasn't talking about the kind of love for his brothers, he was talking about romantic love. This was was a concept so foreign to Leonardo and his other brothers that Donatello may as well have been trying to explain one of his complicated mathematical theories for all that it made sense to him.

"Katherine." Leonardo heard himself say as all of the pieces fell into place. Donatello visibly flinched at the sound of her name. Donatello had claimed that he had lost not only his brothers, but the woman he loved as well, and from his reaction to Katherine, she must have been the one who Donatello had lost.

Leonardo's eyes shot to Nightmare, who currently inhabited the body of a woman known as Katherine.

"Donatello formed his Covenant with Katherine, but..." Nightmare's words trailed off.

"Katherine was killed," Donatello whispered wretchedly, his shoulders slumping in defeat his head bowed forward in unimaginable grief. "I should have died with her, but I was saved. I was saved, even though she wasn't," Donatello's voice shook with a bitter sadness that made Leonardo's heart twist painfully.

"I am sorry that I am in this form, Donatello." Nightmare whispered quietly.

Donatello looked up in surprise and glanced over at her, his eyes widening in shock. Donatello shifted so that he was able to face Nightmare and reached out a hand brushing it gently across her injured cheek.

"Is Katherine destined to always have a scar upon this cheek, given to her by Leo?" Donatello asked softly.

"I don't know, Donatello. This world and on our world, yes; others, I am not sure. But I believe the scar must always be there, though Leonardo's involvement may not always be necessary."

"You look as she did that night when Katherine got her scar." Donatello murmured, his eyes distant, as if remembering something dark and unpleasant. "I couldn't do anything." He whispered miserably. "I just stood there as Leo pinned you to the desk , his katana blade pressed against your throat as he tried to rape you."

Leonardo dropped his own katana blade to the ground in revulsion; the sharp, biting, clatter of iron upon stone reverberating throughout the deathly silent living room.

Donatello was so caught up in his own memories that he seemed to have forgotten that he was talking with Nightmare, who was merely inside Katherine's body, as opposed to Katherine herself.

Leonardo's eyes shot to Raphael's who pulled his head up from where he had buried his face in Nightmare's hair. Raphael's amber eyes narrowed in anger as his lips pulled away from his teeth in a silent snarl.

Leonardo shook his head back and forth in denial of what his counterpart had done. "I-I..." Leonardo stammered, feeling the need to defend not only himself, but his doppelganger as well. He knew himself well enough to know that no matter what had ever happened to him, there was no way he could do what Donatello had accused his counterpart of doing.

"Leonardo barely survived that encounter." Nightmare reached out and gently touched Donatello's hand, which was still resting against her cheek. "And it was not Leonardo, he was possessed, remember? He was no longer in control of his own body. That night nearly destroyed him."

Leonardo swallowed down his terror, the thought of being possessed by something that had made him -or rather, his counterpart- act in a way that was so abhorrent to him made the bile rise up in his throat. Nightmare was right; he was surprised the other Leonardo had managed to survive the encounter. Leonardo knew that if it were him, he would have taken his own life the first moment he was able to do so.

Donatello pulled his hand away from Nightmare's comforting one, and clenched his fist in anger. "Everything just got so...messed up," Donatello began angrily." I can't have what happened to us, happen to them," Donatello insisted fervently, his arm sweeping across to include Leonardo and his family.

"It won't." Nightmare replied softly.

Donatello leapt to his feet. "How can you be sure?!" He snarled turning his back to her.

Nightmare bit her lip and Leonardo realized that he had been wondering what those lips would taste like. He shook his head, taking a step back and focusing on Donatello's words instead.

"Katherine," Donatello rounded on her, a faint red glow in his eyes. "Katherine is the key. They must always meet -us and Katherine- that's what Darkness said. And now here we are, bringing them together, and it never ends well."

"Doesn't it?" She asked.

Donatello looked at Nightmare studying her. "The price is...it's always too high."

Nightmare tipped her head to the side, but did not reply, as if she was waiting for Donatello to continue his thoughts; or she agreed with him.

"Will they love you like we did?" Donatello asked desperately.

"I do not know if they will love Katherine as your brothers did, or if Katherine in return will love all of them, or if only one will be held within her heart. This is a different world, with different variables and situations." Nightmare answered as Leonardo felt his eyes widen in surprise.

What did she mean by 'if they will love Katherine'?Leonardo questioned himself as he tried to understand a world where he loved a human woman, and couldn't.

"Is this Raph Soul Rung too? Is that why he is clinging to you like he is and talking about soul mates?" Donatello asked as he begun to pace back and forth, his movements agitated and angry.

"I don't know, Donatello," she answered quietly, a hitch of some deep emotion in her voice.

"What is Soul Rung?" Master Splinter asked carefully.

Nightmare turned her attention to their father, her face containing an edge of worry and sadness. Leonardo felt himself take a few steps towards her, surprising both of them. He stopped, not sure what he had wanted to do.

Leonardo looked over his shoulder at his father and Michelangelo, wincing as he did so. His vision suddenly swam, blackness creeping in around the edges. He felt himself start to fall, his knees giving out. Unexpectedly, Donatello managed to catch him before he fell to the hard stone floor.

Donatello gently lay him down on the couch. He looked up, his family hovering around him, worry and concern etched into their faces. Donatello prodded at his arm and he bit back a hiss of pain as he closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the black and red waves of agony to subside.

A warm hand was placed against his cheek and he again felt his skin prickle with awareness at the tender touch. He refused to open his eyes until she was gone. She stroked his cheek again before her hand vanished from his cheek. He waited a few moments before slowly opening one eye a crack to see where she had gone. Nightmare had moved away his vision filled with Michelangelo pulling a blanket over him and tucking it in around the sides.

"You need to rest, Leo," Donatello advised as Michelangelo sat on the couch by Leonardo's legs. "You'll only make your injury worse, you probably already have." Donatello picked his katana up off the floor and placed it gently on the coffee table.

Leonardo frowned in irritation, shifting himself up with Donatello's help so that he wouldn't be lying flat, but propped up by the arm of the couch.

Raphael was touching Nightmare again, arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind. Raphael looked worried, his amber eyes searching Leonardo's own in concern.

"Whadaya mean, Soul Rung? Is that bad?" Raphael asked nervously as Donatello pressed in close to Nightmare.

"Being Soul Rung is…it's bad," Donatello mumbled.

Nightmare sighed. "It isn't bad, Donatello, it is beautiful. But it is a beauty too precious, too sublime for mere mortals." Raphael suddenly picked Nightmare up into his arms and settled himself back down on the chair, pulling her away from Donatello.

Donatello looked at Raphael and growled threateningly.

Raphael glared black, lips pulled back in a snarl, his arms tightening around her body.

Donatello let out an irritated huff of air and settled back down at Nightmare's feet.

"The other me, he this Soul Rung thing?" Raphael asked.

"Yeah." Donatello answered softly. "Being Soul Rung is…If every soul on the planet beats and pulses, chimes and rings at its own frequency -each as unique as a snowflake- no two should ever be alike. But if it happens that there are two alike and they look into each other's eyes, they are lost to one another. Their love something too great, too deep, to describe with mere mortal words."

"So like...soul mates?" Michelangelo offered up.

"No," Donatello answered with a shake of his head. "Soul mates don't exist, not like how we think of them anyway. The gods don't go around cleaving souls in two to make two perfect halves, but it is possible for two souls to be very similar in pitch and frequency. That is true love, that feeling that you had found your soul mate. But Katherine… Katherine was my soul mate, not just a true love, but an actual soul mate," Donatello whispered, his voice containing the sharp edge of misery and wretchedness.

"We were Soul Bound," he said taking a deep breath before continuing, as if the words and images still had the ability to cause pain. "I told you that I was dying. I had been shot and I should have died, but Katherine refused to let me go. She ventured into Death's domain, found my soul and bargained with Death himself for my life. But she gave up too much, her life in exchange for mine. I refused to accept those terms. I was not going to let the woman I loved die for me. I promised to help her and protect her forever. I promised never to let her die. Another bargain was struck with Death and Katherine promised never to let my soul go. We didn't know what we had done. I didn't know that I had agreed to become her Familiar, or that she had inadvertently bound our souls together for all eternity," Donatello paused, closing his eyes tightly before continuing.

"But Raph was so much more than just a true love, or just a soul mate, he was her True Mate, her true Soul Mate. He existed for her and because of her. She existed for him and because of him. Their souls rang together, their hearts beat as one; each breath they took, they took together. They were two beings with one soul, but we didn't know. We didn't know any of this and I messed things up between them because she was now bound to me. Her love for me warred with her love for Raph. But it was always Raph. It should have been Raph. But we messed things up because all of my brothers were bound to Katherine in ways we didn't even know existed, or could exist. We all loved her, and she loved all of us, and when she died...we were all devastated, but Mikey and Leo were at least able continue on. They got out of bed each day and things seemed to get a little better for them. I too managed to do this, even though her loss nearly broke me. But Raph..." Donatello paused again and looked up at Raphael who looked back at him, eyes golden and filled with an emotion that Leonardo couldn't quite recognize.

"The reason that two souls being Soul Rung isn't supposed to happen- besides the fact that none should exist- is because mortals are never supposed to experience that kind of undying love; because they die. To love that powerfully, that fully and completely, is a curse, because the mortal heart is supposed to be able to get through grief, come to terms with it, and perhaps even move on in time. But with being Soul Rung," Donatello shook his head. "It was a miracle that Raph managed to survive her death. His heart stopped beating the moment hers did. We managed to get his heart pumping again but... it would have been a mercy to just let him die," Donatello whispered wretchedly as Leonardo felt himself gasp in shock.

Donatello looked at them, gaze intense. "You see, Raph could never move on, ever. Over time the crippling, devastating grief of Katherine's loss would remain as fresh and new as if it had only just happened. I think he would have been driven mad if it wasn't for his plan."

"What plan? What happened to me?" Raphael whispered. "The other me?"

Donatello stood so that Raphael had to look up at him. "After Katherine's death, Raphael lived, even after he was so badly beaten one night that he lost his sight and nearly his life, but he fought to live, refusing to die. I was naive enough to believe that Raphael would be fine. I was grateful for this because I knew Leo and Mikey would need him. I didn't have much longer to live, and I knew that Leo and Mikey wouldn't be able to bear the loss of two brothers, and so I tried to help Raph the best I could with what little time I had left. Only…Raph had his plan. He thought he had to suffer for letting Katherine die. His punishment was living. But he had given himself a time limit, and after that…" Donatello's voice shook as he swallowed before continuing. "We found him lying in a pool of his own blood; he had taken his sai and plunged it straight through his heart; his death in mimicry of Katherine's murder."

Leonardo felt all of the blood drain from his face as he stared at Donatello who was looking at Raphael with a forceful intensity. Raphael flinched at Donatello's words and grew pale, but did not say anything; none of them did, because words had failed them.

Leonardo was beyond horrified as he imagined a world where one of his brothers took their own life and felt his heart twist as his stomach threatened to rebel its meagre contents.

"I don't want that to happen to your Raphael," Donatello turned his attention away from Raphael and towards Master Splinter. "But it may be already too late."

Master Splinter's face was etched with horror and worry.

"So the other me is dead, Mikey and Leo are trapped in some big chunk of rock, and you are stuck as some sort of...of Familiar." Raphael growled, clutching Nightmare closer, as if seeking or offering comfort.

Nightmare's face was concealed in darkened shadow, her head bowed either in grief or solemn contemplation, either way she offered up no words of solace or grief, only heavy silence.

"Raph is still alive, at least...for now. He and my brothers are alive within the crystal. They are in suspended animation, frozen within time and space. Nightmare managed to bring Raph back to us, and now I'm her Familiar. Of course, I didn't want to be. I had a choice; become her Familiar or die...I chose death. But in the end, I had no choice; the option taken away from me by the cruel hands of an enemy, and the threats against my family. And if you are thinking that Nightmare forced me to be her Familiar or that somehow this was our payment for bringing Raph back, you're wrong." Donatello told them fiercely, settling back down at Nightmares feet.

Leonardo had the distinct impression that any more questions about how he became Nightmare's Familiar would not be openly welcomed.

As for Raphael being brought back from the dead...the idea was ludicrous, as ludicrous as the idea of magic. Magic was not real. No one came back from the dead, at least, not from having a sai plunged through their heart. Magic was all smoke and mirrors, illusions and deceptions. Even though he had accused the woman of having Donatello enamoured through some sort of spell, he didn't actually believe it was magic, more like some sort of drug, toxin, or even brainwashing, not actual magic.

"Using magic to resurrect the dead uses the very darkest and blackest of magics, and is forbidden," Master Splinter said with grim, dangerous disapproval as he stood.

His father saying such a thing -as if he actually believed in magic- startled him. Leonardo could admit to himself that he knew there were far more things that walked around on Earth than what humans knew about -like them for example- and he could believe in such a thing as demons -those dark spirits that roamed the earth in search of something to satisfy their unquenchable hunger- but he drew the line at magic.

Something in the air changed, goose bumps rode along Leonardo's skin, and if he had hair, it would have been standing uncomfortably on end.

Master Splinter's eyes had become intense, darkened orbs of concentration. Nightmare lifted her head, her moss green eyes overly bright as they gazed at their father. Her eyes looked as if they were lit from within by some powerful force, but Leonardo knew it was only the sheen of unshed tears that granted her eyes such breathtaking luminosity.

But something else in her eyes had changed as well. There was a heaviness in her gaze that bespoke of too much time and too much knowledge; knowledge that she shouldn't have to know, let alone bear. She sat straighter, protected within Raphael's arms, Donatello at her feet, as if she were some queen who sat upon a high backed throne, her slaves scattered about her to fulfil her ever wish, ever desire, every command; unthinkingly, and unerringly.

"Magic is a force of nature; raw, unequivocal power in its basest form. It can be kind and cruel, wild and tamed, but much like any dangerous beast trapped within the cruel confines of a cage, it only wishes to be free," Nightmare gravely informed them, the luminous quality to her eyes ebbing, like a slow, crystal tide.

"No." This small word tore through the room like the crack of a whip.

Donatello's head whipped around and studied the wise old rat. Leonardo could see that there was something feral leaking into Donatello's gaze, something that spoke of wild forests, claws, teeth, and a savage, bestial need to survive and protect; to guard what it held up to be worthy of such protection.

Leonardo shivered a little with fear, his eyes moving to Raphael, who held almost the same feral look in his eyes. It wasn't as entrenched, not as clear as Donatello's, but it was still sitting within his golden depths, a smoldering purposeful intensity that slapped Leonardo right across the face with the shock of it. At that moment he knew without a shadow of a doubt, that Raphael would attack Master Splinter- any of them for that matter- if they so much as moved one beautiful, golden-russet lock of Nightmare's hair out of place.

The living room suddenly crackled with tension, having been transformed into a powder keg of possible violence. One wrong movement, one wrong word, and the living room's occupants would explode with vicious snarls, drawn weapons and bloodthirsty cries of battle.

Master Splinter's ears were pinned back flat against his head, whiskers twitching with anger, and fear. Whether the fear was of her or for Donatello and Raphael, Leonardo was unsure, but it was probably a little bit of both.

At that moment Leonardo was almost tempted to try to kill the woman in front of him; release whatever hold she had on Raphael, hope that she lied about Donatello dying, and deal with the overwhelming guilt of having murdered an innocent woman later.

But more than this, he needed to free himself from the terror that he could feel building up inside and all around him. Like a stray leaf caught in an idle, yet capricious breeze, Leonardo could feel himself being tossed around, yet inevitably drawn to the woman in front of him. He was like a moth drawn to a flame; he knew only danger and death waited for him, and yet he still felt himself moving closer anyway.

Leonardo looked at his katana which had been placed on the coffee table in front of him. He calculated how long -in his current injured and weakened state- it would take for him to grab his beloved blade, lunge forward, and plunge it straight through Nightmare's heart. The timing would be too close to call, he'd probably be killed in the process -whatever the outcome- but it just might be worth it if it freed his brothers.

"Forbidden magic is forbidden for a reason." Master Splinter's voice still contained a sharp edge of steel as he spoke."The price paid to bring a soul back from the grip of death is too high," Master Splinter bit out and Leonardo suddenly felt something hot, heavy and thick upon his skin accompanied by the sharp, biting smell of ozone before a thunder storm drifting through the air.

His eyes widened in shock, his weapon forgotten on the table as he realized that their father was exuding a strong, intense amount of spiritual power upon Nightmare.

Their father was trying to...what? Break the hold she had upon Donatello and Raphael -perhaps only Raphael- Leonardo wasn't sure, but from the calm expression on Nightmare's face, and the tense, menacing postures of his brothers, it didn't seem to be working.

"Master, all of this talk of magic…it's not real," Leonardo insisted as he looked back and forth between his father and Nightmare.

"Magic is only too real, my son," Master Splinter informed them solemnly. "Our spiritual powers could be considered a form of magic. But the type of magic they are talking about..." Master Splinter shook his head in disgust. "As much as I would do anything to protect my sons from death, and no matter how much I would wish to bring them back if they suffered such a fate, I would not. I would accept the grief as my due and perhaps accept it in time. I would not deal with things better left in the dark. "

Nightmare's eyes flashed with the brief flare of some hidden, powerful emotion before her face settled into lines of calm composure. She sighed wearily dragging her hands through her golden-russet curling locks. Her body relaxed as did both Donatello and Raphael. They lost their feral, menacing looks; Donatello placed his head in her lap while Raphael buried his face in her neck and hair.

Nightmare finally spoke softly. "You are of course correct. Good and evil, light and dark, they dance, twist and writhe within the confines of magic. Death magic is cruel, evil and vile -for all parties involved- but not because magic itself is evil. It is evil because the wielder twists it to suit their own horrific and selfish purpose," Nightmare informed them. "Magic always comes with a price, be it a year of your life, power, a dream, blood, or even your very soul; it is never without cost. Revenants such as ghouls, zombies, jiang shi, and vampires, are the dead brought back to life, their souls placed back into rotting corpses that feast on the living in some form or another. This type of magic can be accomplished by using a great amount of power, blood and perhaps an animal sacrifice or two. Blood, life, and power are the ingredients for all resurrections. But a true resurrection requires a life for a life of equal measure; a human life for a human life, a mutant turtle for a mutant turtle. Though in truth, a human life would suffice for a mutant turtle because their souls are of equal weight. Such magic as this is truly evil and as such, it leaves a stain of smut upon the practitioner's soul," Nightmare calmly explained as Leonardo felt spots dance before his eyes.

Leonardo knew that if one of his brothers had died and if someone had offered him the hope of restoring that brother to life, he would take it, even at the cost of his own. Unlike his father, he wouldn't care if it damned his own soul for eternity, he couldn't...wouldn't let a brother die. But who made the sacrifice? Leonardo's eyes shot to Donatello, who had already informed them that he was dying. Did Donatello give up his life so Raphael could live? Was Donatello transformed into some kind of creature by Nightmare after she killed him? His mind skittered away from this thought, but took a breath to ask the question anyway.

"How tainted is your soul? How much smut have you covered it with to attain whatever power you have?" Leonardo found himself asking instead of his original question.

"Her soul is..." Donatello cut himself off, eyes narrowing dangerously. "I would have given my life for Raph's in a heartbeat," Donatello stated fiercely as he quickly stood. "Any of us would have."

Nightmare smiled and chuckled, the reaction surprising everyone in the room, including Donatello.

"Do not concern yourself with the state of my damned and tortured soul, Leonardo." Her voice was soft, but contained a hint of grim, almost malicious humour. Leonardo glanced away from her, making sure he did not look her in the eyes. "But I did not sacrifice anyone for Raphael. You see, as long as you can get to the soul before either Death or a Reaper claims the it, the price of a resurrection is far more reasonable, just blood and power."

Nightmare pulled free from Raphael's arms and stood, placing her hand against Donatello's plastron, he pulled Nightmare close.

"We have to save them," Donatello told her earnestly. "I can't bear to have what happened to us, happen to them."

Nightmare looked at Donatello seriously and nodded, her face solemn. "It won't, Donatello."

"How can you be so sure?" Donatello insisted.

Nightmare sighed. "Because the events that shaped this world are different than the ones that shaped ours."

Donatello pulled away from her and closed his eyes, running a hand down his face in irritation. "I know you are not trying to be purposefully obtuse-" he began before being cut off by Nightmare.

"I can't promise anything, Donatello. The exact same events cannot happen as I have already stated, but I do know that events have already been set in motion on this world. They are being drawn towards their fate. I don't know what will happen, so all we can do is just hold onto the hope that everything will be okay."

Donatello stared at Nightmare, his eyes narrowed dangerously and contained a hint of golden-red fire.

Raphael stood walking over to Nightmare, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"Hope isn't good enough." Donatello bit out scathingly.

"It is all we have." Nightmare stated softly. "The soft, brilliant plea that we send off into the void of the Universe and the hope that the Universe will listen."

Donatello closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath.

"But if it eases your heart some, I do not believe Raphael is Soul Rung," Nightmare said encouragingly.

Donatello's eyes snapped open and Leonardo felt relief flood through him at Nightmare's pronouncement.

"If memory serves, our Raphael did not act like this at first with Katherine. There is something very strong pulling me to Raphael, something I have not felt before, something beautiful, but... the world did not stop to catch its breath," she said as if this explained everything. "But, it's possible that our presence may have caused a sort of rippling echo effect from our world onto this one; though the chances of this is rather unlikely." She stated tipping her head to the side in thought. "It is strange, but...it seems to be that Raphael is mimicking you."

Donatello's eyes widened in surprise. Leonardo studied both Raphael and Donatello and had to admit that the similarities between the two were eerily similar.

"I ain't actin' like Donny," Raphael growled defiantly.

Nightmare turned her head to study Raphael, who still had her clutched in his arms. "Yes, you are. You are protective of me and cling to me like a ferocious guard dog. And when Donatello touches me, you burn with jealous anger."

Raphael's eyes narrowed indignantly, his lips pulling back from his teeth in a snarl.

Leonardo felt his skin tingle with dread. He swallowed and shifted his eyes to his katana blade again.

Nightmare suddenly pulled away from Raphael's grip and wrapped herself in Donatello's arms. She looked over at Raphael whose eyes narrowed further, into golden slits of rage that took on a hint of red.

"Raphael, stop!" Nightmare snapped sharply.

Raphael approached her, a low growl issuing from his lips and he glared menacingly at Donatello.

Nightmare pulled away from Donatello and met Raphael. Raphael drew her into his arms and looked down at her. "You are mine, do you understand?" he asked in a possessive and deadly low voice.

Donatello's eyes narrowed angrily, bleeding to golden red. "She is my mate, not yours," he roared, his hands bunching into fists, knuckles turning white.

"Why are they acting like this?" Michelangelo asked, his voice shaking in fear at the scene playing out in front of him

"How?" Nightmare asked her face full of confusion as she studied Raphael. "It's like he is as Donatello is, but he isn't. He even has..." The red light in Raphael's eyes dimmed slightly as he looked down at Nightmare, tipping her head up and kissing her passionately.

Donatello strode forward, hand clamping around Nightmare's delicate upper arm, and pulling her away from Raphael.

Raphael balled his hands into fists about, to retaliate.

"Stop!" Nightmare ordered before turning her attention to Donatello, gently prying his hand from her arm.

Leonardo had no doubt that Nightmare's flesh would have the beginnings of a bruise forming on her arm under her clothing.

"Donatello, this is very important," Nightmare's voice broke through the thick tense silence that filled the lair as its occupants held their breath, waiting for further violence. "Did you at any time, somehow touch Raphael's soul?"

Donatello looked at Nightmare in angry confusion. "Of course not!' he barked out in exasperation. "How would I have..." Donatello hastily cut himself off, eyes flying to Raphael and widening in dismay.

"Donatello?" she asked carefully.

Donatello swallowed and did not react when Raphael pulled Nightmare back into his arms again.

"I...but it wasn't..."

Nightmare's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?" she asked her voice low, harsh and containing an edge of anger.

"I pulled Raph's spirit into my dream and my darker self attacked him. I fought him off and helped Raph up and then we both woke up and Raph was sick," Donatello informed her taking a step back at the fury and disbelief in Nightmare's eyes.

"Another word for spirit is soul, Donatello," Nightmare snapped.

Donatello crossed his arms over his chest defensively, suddenly holding his ground. "So?"

Nightmare closed her eyes, attempting to reign in her anger. "Touching another person's soul is... Perhaps it would not normally present a problem, but when dealing with souls that hold a certain amount of Power, the effects can be rather... unpredictable."

Donatello blinked in shock.

"Unpredictable how?" Leonardo asked in trepidation, his heart hammering with fear.

"Katherine bound her soul and Donatello's soul together because she held onto his soul and promised to never let it go. What Donatello did by touching Raphael's soul I don't know, but it has obviously done something," Nightmare explained grimly.

"Like what?" Raphael asked in confusion.

Nightmare brushed a hand through her hair again. "I don't know. I may be able to know more once I get my body back. Just for now, Raphael I need you to try to control your temper, which is I know asking a lot, but just try.." Her voice sounded oddly resigned as if she knew that Raphael controlling his temper would be something of a minor miracle. "If we are lucky, whatever has happened will wear off, with no one the worse for the experience."

"But what-" Michelangelo began, but Nightmare waved off his question.

"Michelangelo," Nightmare said with a movement of her hand. "Time is growing more and more precious with each passing moment. The longer we delay, the greater the chances that your Donatello is not going to survive," Nightmare pronounced grimly. "We need to get our bodies back and-"

"I think I know where Donny's body is." Michelangelo suddenly interrupted, voice full of sudden excitement.

All eyes turned towards Michelangelo in astonishment. Michelangelo blinked at them. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Mikey," Raphael rumbled dangerously.

"Remember all the weird little messages the Purple Dragons have been leaving us since Donatello...switched bodies?"

"The Shredder," Raphael growled as Michelangelo nodded in agreement.

Leonardo remembered the writing on the wall of the alley when he had been injured. It hadn't made any sense to him at the time, pain and unconsciousness had blinded him to anything but his laboured breathing and the warm blood that was pumping freely from his body.

"The Shredder's gotta have Donny's body," Michelangelo agreed with a nod.

Nightmare and Donatello looked at each other and grimaced.

"Does the Shredder have your body as well?" Donatello questioned.

Nightmare frowned in thought. "I do not believe so. I do not remember seeing you when we came to this world. I believe we were separated and that my body is elsewhere. But for now, your body is the priority, not mine. The other Donatello's very soul hangs in the balance."

Donatello nodded in agreement. "I hope for the Shredder's sake, his fate is better than that of our Shredder," Donatello mumbled under his breath.

Nightmare shrugged. "True," she agreed. "Now, where do we find your Shredder?" she asked curiously.

*phew* okay I know that was a lot to chew on and so many questions that still need to be answered, but hope you all enjoyed:D Thought and opinions always welcome!