It was a calm night after the fiasco from earlier. Ty and the others had been watching from the control room as his father and Uncles made contact. And they were all on the edge of their seats with anxiety when Uncle Raph decided to tangle with the Dinobot.

But that was earlier. Everything had been smoothed over and the large beings had agreed to help Prime. Now they just had to get the large goofs off of the island. But that was something to be dealt with tomorrow. It was already late and it was figured that a little cool down time would be well needed before his hot headed Uncle met up with the hot headed Dinobot again.

He didn't mind the delay one bit. He finally got the chance to sleep in an actual bed instead of a cot. A bed he planned on sharing with Cindy. He smiled a little at that thought as he looked out the window to the room given to them. They had already been sharing her tent after...well...after that night. But this was in a way special too. Their first room together. Sure it wasn't a permanent room back at home but a milestone to him nonetheless.

The soft sound of the water running in the shower told him she was still trying to get a few days worth of grime off of her. They had been on the move so much that most of them had resorted to what his mother referred to as "baby wipe baths" to stay somewhat fresh. But there was only so much those little towels could get clean. And laundry definately needed to be done. Ty had taken advantage of the barracks laundry room found here and had taken care of his and Cindy's things while she was still on duty. So at least she had some fresh clothes to slip into when she was done with her shower.

His own shower was already finished, having taken advantage of that luxury quickly, again while she was on duty. He knew she would want hers just as soon as she was released for the evening so he wanted to make sure they wouldn't both be trying to squeeze into it at the same time. The thing was ridiculously small.

Soon enough the sound of the water stopped and she stepped out a short while later, dressed in a long t-shirt and shorts with her now damp curls framing her face. "I have been waiting for that for days." She said dreamily as she joined him.

Ty smiled at her expression, then on an impulse picked up her hairbrush and began to carefully brush her red hair.

"You do know that's a wasted effort, right? Curly hair is a pain to keep untangled."

"I don't really care." Was his reply. "I want to brush it."

Her eyebrow came up at that. "I've never had someone I'm dating do that for me."

"Then I'd say it's about time." He carefully worked the brush trough. "It's so different than Mom's. Hers is so easy to brush."

"It's also straight." She reminded him. "Big difference. Wait...you brush your Mom's hair?"

"I used too when I was a kid. Lavi and I both did. I guess it's because we've seen Father do it so many times that we picked it up."

"He brushes her hair?"

"Of course. He loves it as much as the rest of her. It's one of the ways he shows his affection to her. And honestly, she doesn't mind. She loves having her hair brushed, always did. Us kids have just outgrown the habit I guess, but Father still does it a lot."

Cindy was quiet a few moments as he kept working the brush through. "I do have to admit...it does feel nice."

Ty smiled. "Then I'm doing something right. Mom used to wince and flinch a lot. Probably because we usually tried to rip through the tangles instead of trying to gently separate them."

She laughed. "Yeah...you're brushing has definitely improved then."

He was about to answer but remained quiet when a ghostly chuckle filled the room. That was immediately followed with a large sense of unease. A feeling that grew very rapidly. He put the brush down and circled, his eyes searching for the source of the noise. Cindy was standing next to him, her wide eyes a clear indication that she heard it too.

Neither one of them could find the source of the strange noise. Ty was now very unsettled, his instincts screaming at him. Before he could do anything else, even reach for his weapons, the window shattered inward, sending shards of glass flying into the room. He had just enough time to grab Cindy and spin around with her, his shell taking the brunt of the hit, before something slammed into him hard enough to send them both across the room. Again he was madly twisting in the air to keep Cindy from the brunt of the hit and landed on his hard carapace and slid across the floor with her on top of him.

"Hello turtle boy." Ty stared at what he was seeing. It couldn't be... Jeff? "You like beating up on me? It's time to return the favor."

Ty snapped himself out of his stupor to shove Cindy out of the way. "Run Cindy! Get out of here!"

"Oh yes Cindy, do run." Jeff sneered at her with his black eyes, eyes that chilled Ty to his soul. "Once I'm done with him, the others are next. Then I'll have all the time in the world to hunt you down." Then he turned back to Ty and kicked him, sending the turtle through the wall and out into the corridor.

He hit the far wall hard and struggled to get to his feet, but not before another hit sent him through the next wall and into the room Thane was in.

"What in the hell!" Ty's cousin roared even as the blonde head of Jessica hid under the covers. "Ty?" Thane was out of his bed in a heartbeat and helped the downed turtle up. "What's going on?"

"It's...Jeff..." Ty wiped the blood off of his lip.

"Jeff?! He's dead!"

"Not dead as you wish me to be freak." Jeff appeared suddenly next to them and he picked Thane up and threw him across the room. "I'll deal with you in a minute. Turtle boy is first." He kicked Ty again and this time Ty found himself outside rolling across the ground. Still he got stubbornly to his feet and faced his attacker.

"Ty! Catch!" Thane roared before he threw one of his hook swords to his unarmed cousin. Ty easily reached up and caught the handle of the weapon.

"My, you are a tough one." Jeff taunted as he came in again. "How many walls will you have to go through before you admit defeat and just lay down and die?"

"What are you?" Ty asked, his breathing heavy as he tried to fight away his pain.

His answer was an evil smirk. "Something more than I was before. Try kicking me off a cliff now!" The last part came out in a snarl as Jeff rushed him.

Ty didn't doubt that at all. He was finding out that he was seriously outmatched with this...thing. Blow after blow came in, and Ty found he was seriously struggling to block them. And the ones he did block hurt like a son of a bitch. Whatever Jeff was now, he clearly wasn't human.

Then Ty wasn't alone. Thane stood next to him, his hazel eyes flaring with anger. "Back off you ugly fucktard."

"So impatient to die yourself freak? I had wanted to spare you the agony of death for a while longer yet. No matter, I'll kill you both!" He kicked out, sending Ty crashing into Thane and both of them hit the ground. He relentlessly came in again, his fist held high and ready to deliver a massive hit.

Until a smaller body came somersaulting over him, grabbed that arm and when Lavi hit the ground she pulled him over her body and slammed him into the ground. "Count again you ass hat!" She quickly backflipped away, but not quick enough as a foot caught her in the stomach and connected.

"Ah, the twin sister. Born at the same time and shall die at the same time." Jeff calmly stood up as she went rolling away.

"Lavi!" Ty got to his feet again, his anger fueling him now.

"I'm ok Ty." Came her reply as she stood up, and winced holding her stomach before she fell back down. "I think."

Ty took a deep breath to calm himself. He also found out that break was a mistake when a hand suddenly wrapped around his throat, then began to squeeze. "Tired turtle boy? Run down? Beat up and need to rest?" Jeff pulled him Ty closer to his snarling face. "I don't have that problem anymore." He tilted his head in amusement as Ty struggled for air. "I don't need to breath either."

Thane came in, furiously determined to break that grip and was met with the other hand as it flashed around and sent him to the ground next to Lavi. Ty barely noticed, his fingers digging desperately into the hand that held him. His weakening kicks doing no good on the body in front of him and soon enough his knees gave out from lack of air.

"Leave him alone!" Cindy's voice came across clearly before one of Ty's katana's came down on that arm, and through it. "It's me you want! Leave him alone!"

Ty hit the ground, still trying to get that hand off that hadn't relinquished it's hold.

Jeff turned to Cindy, an amused expression on his face. "Dear little Cindy. You don't understand, do you? You've already been promised to me. But I have to clean up this mess of freakdom before I can claim you and take you back to hell with me." Then he sneered. "But nothing said you had to be in one piece before you get there!" His free hand shot out and grabbed her arm. "I should rip that arm off, just to remind you who is actually in control here."

"Control is an illusion created by your misguided thinking." A new voice firmly said a moment before another katana came in and took the other arm off. Then Ty's father quickly pulled Cindy to him and carefully guided that blade over the fingers, releasing the grip on her arm, then brought it around with extreme precision and released Ty from the same grip.

Ty took in a large breath of air as the hand finally released it's hold because of the lack of fingers, his vision swimming.

Jeff's face actually paled even more than it already was at the sight of the furious father. "You!" A voice other than Jeff's own rang out. A hollow female sounding voice. "I did not know you would be here as well!"

Leonardo's eyes narrowed at the very noticeable change in the voice. "Maybe you should have done your research a bit better before you send your minion to attack my children."

The look of shock didn't fade as Jeff suddenly began to crackle with black energy that drew his dismembered pieces back to him. Then batlike wings sprouted from the man and he quickly flew off into the darkness. Leonardo calmly watch him go until the darkness consumed him, then turned his attention to the younger turtles.

"Jessica!" Ty's father called to the woman who was wrapped in a sheet still as she watched dumfounded from the hole in Thane's wall. "Go get Donnie!"

"Yes sir!" She darted off...still in her sheet.

Ty found himself being lifted to a sitting position by his Father. "You alright son?"

"I...don't know." Ty admitted. "Everything hurts..."

"Not surprising since you went through three walls and took a serious beating." Thane mumbled, holding his arm gingerly. Lavi had hers wrapped firmly around her stomach as she laid on the ground still. "What was that thing Uncle Leo?"

Leonardo sighed as his eyes wandered back to where the wraith disappeared too. "The first sign telling me that they are here." Came the grim reply.

"What makes you say that?"

"One of the horsemen is Death." Came the calm reply. "And something death related brought a dead man back to life."

Ty swallowed hard as he took that information in, but didn't have time to dwell in it as Cindy suddenly flung herself into his arms. He held her to him, trying to control her shaking before he looked quizzically at Thane. "So...you finally managed to hook up with Jessica huh."

Thane blushed and flustered a little before he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah...not the way I wanted you to find out about it though."

Ty and Leo chuckled a little at him before the elder turtle moved to Lavi. "Easy turtle dove. That hit may have cracked your plastron. Lay still until your Uncle can get a look at it."

She just nodded, her face pale from pain.

Lavi didn't have to wait long. A few moments later there was a whole crew heading towards them. Kyle and Emily along with Tony and Donnie. Ari followed a short time later with Adam and the rest of the family.

"What happened?" Uncle Raph thundered as he helped Thane to his feet.

"I'll explain later." Father told him. "Let's make sure they are cared for first."

"Get them inside." Uncle Donnie said as he moved to Lavi. "Carefully." He added as Kyle helped Leonardo pick up the still down turtle girl. "Her plastron is intact but there is probably some serious bruising going on...at the least."

Ty sighed as he was gently guided inside. He had to admit...he was scared. If he came up against that...thing...again, there was no way to beat it. As it was it had been close without Father's timely intervention. Something he seemed to do a lot. But Ty was so glad for that habit of his. The young turtle didn't understand what it was about the mere presence of his Father that scared Jeff off, but he suspected it had something to do with the power given to him. Ty hoped that when it came back again, they would have something figured out incase his Father wasn't near.

.

.

They all looked at Death concerned when she let out a startled hiss.

"What is wrong?" Famine asked.

"This one is indeed very different. For one, he keeps his loved ones very close to him. If the stalker tries to finish the task, it will be destroyed."

"And?" War's eyes narrowed, knowing there was more.

"He is stronger than we thought. The balance flows strongly in him. But there is also something odd about him, as if what I saw was only a part of the whole picture."

"That makes no sense." Pestilence mused. "How can he be powerful with balance but divided at the same time?"

She shook her head, frustration showing for the first time on her face. "I...don't know. We've never encountered one like him before. He isn't even of the same species that infests this world."

Again that unease welled up in War, and that turned into anger as they flew along. "Hold the stalker back. Let him follow but make no more attacks until we can find a way to separate the champion from those he cares for. Eventually he will have to leave them, then it will strike again."

Death just nodded as she sent her instructions to her creation, but even on her normally calm features...doubt was starting to set in.