You thought this day would never come? YOU THOUGHT WE'D NEVER GET HERE? THOUGHT VIOLETTE AND SUTH WOULD LEAVE YOU HANGING?

Guess what.

The time is now. Hold onto your FRIGGIN' SHELLS weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

As always a humongous thank you to our beautiful betas Theherocomplex and Queequegg. Seriously, standing ovation, guys. These gals have stuck with us all this time, through aaaaall these chapters. And the fic is all the better for it.

And thank you to all YOU guys, for taking this journey with us TvT Hope you enjoy the third act...

Previously...

Right on the evening before the arrival of their supposed future selves, tensions at the Hamato lair run higher than ever.

Raph told Donnie that April and Casey were together, and now Donnie feels like crap.

In reality though, things between the two human-ish kids didn't go quite as romantically. And Casey has the hangover to prove it.

Still clearly distraught for her own reasons, Karai went to bed early.

These future turtles will hopefully come with a plan, as they promised...

April ran as fast as the boggy ground beneath her feet would allow. Desperately she felt her way through the dark unfamiliar sewer tunnel. The creature's multiple mouths screamed for her, its horrible deformed feet galloping sloppily, closer and closer.

"Traitor!" it roared behind her.

She could almost feel it at her heels, its breath on the back of her neck. In a last-ditch attempt to lose it, she spotted a grate on the ground, and slipped through it.

Furious, the monster stomped about, sniffing the air. "Traitor! Traitor!"

As it passed by a string of light, she caught a glimpse of it, and the horror and dread made her gag. The Mom-thing from the farmhouse was back, but this time with her father's head at the end of its slithering neck. It had taken Raph too, his face protruding out of the fleshy bulk, like a grotesque zit, pink tentacles slamming angrily against the walls.

She turned away from the grate, looking for another way out of the hole, and spotted Leo in a corner. He sat cross-legged on his tatami, calmly sipping tea. A wave of relief washed over her.

"Leo, help!" she begged.

But as he slowly lifted his head and squinted at her, suspicious, a wisp of vapor from the hot cup morphed in the air, spelling one word: 'dishonor'.

"I take offense to that," she said, hurt, but her voice came out way small. Looking down on herself she realized she was a little kid, wearing her old revoltingly frilly pink dress.

"Aw, Red! You look adorable!" A squeaky voice cackled by her ear, and she turned to see a toy-sized Casey flying by, riding Beatrice like an insectoid Falkor.

"I need to find my way out!" she pleaded, starting to get annoyed at the lack of assistance.

"All ways here you see, are the QUEEN'S WAYS!"

April swivelled around to see Donnie laying on his side along a big pipe, purring and wagging his fluffy tail, stripes all along his body glowing a bright purple against the dark brick wall. He blinked and grinned at her before licking the back of his hand and rubbing it on his pointed cat ears.

Yes, this must be Future Donnie! April thought, hopeful. He should know the way!

"Well, I suppose this exit's as good as any," he replied when she asked, and pointed at the tunnel to her right. April hadn't noticed how it led straight outside. She recognized the well-lit street and graffitied storefronts. It was just a few blocks from her place.

"But," Donnie continued, winking, "I rather like this way myself." He pointed towards the opposite tunnel, which was pitch black. April took a few steps down it and found the pipe opened up into blackness, and she peered down what looked like a mile-long drop.

"Who in their right mind would choose this tunnel?"

Donnie chuckled merrily. "I know, it's your favorite!"

"Mine too, weee!" hollered tiny Casey, flying by April's ear. He bro-fisted Cat Donnie with his teeny fist before turning Beatrice towards the dark tunnel and diving into the void with his usual "Goongala!"

What the hell was she supposed to do? That thing was still after her, stomping about in some nearby tunnel. The first exit looked perfectly safe, and it was right there. But something about the other tunnel pulled her in. She couldn't remember what was down there. What was it? Now she wanted to know! But could she spare the time? What about her exams? She hadn't studied at all today!

There was a deafening boom behind her, and the thing came bursting through a wall. "Traitor!" Striding out of a cloud of dust and falling debris, it stalked towards April.

Dammit, she didn't have time for this thing's bullshit. She needed to think!

"Shut up!" she yelled.

Immediately, the thing stopped in its tracks and gawked at her with all of its heads, looking deeply confused.

Turning her back on it, she tried to focus on the black silence beyond. There was someone at the bottom, and though she couldn't see, she could feel them. Familiar, reassuring. Of course! This tunnel lead to Splinter's dojo! Suddenly the street beyond the other exit felt cold and empty in comparison.

She shot Future Cat Donnie one last grin. "Thanks! See you at four thirty!"

"Four thirty-five exactly," he corrected, giving her a finger-gun.

Then April jumped, completely certain, the warm and silky blackness enveloping her, and as she fell, even as her insides sank, she felt at peace. Like she was going home.

Then her body hit the ground, and the peace came crashing down.

Startled, she sat up and looked around. Lucky she'd landed on something soft.

She felt a blanket covering her body, and downy material beneath her, and realized she was in a bed, nestled inside a big depression in the middle. All around her, there was a faint smell of coffee, leather, and essential oils.

The absurdity of it all dawned on her at last: it had all been a dream. She was safe in Donnie's room, surrounded by familiar snores. With a sigh, she let herself fall back on the pillow, cradled in the shell-shaped hollow, and let herself relax.

What little she remembered from her dream was fading fast, though she did remember the terror and anxiety. But all the turtles had been there, and Casey, and now she couldn't shake off this odd sense of determination. Not that she would want to—it was fantastic.

She felt… intrepid. She hadn't realized how long it had been since she'd felt this way, and how much she'd missed it.

Then she remembered the reason why she was lying in Donnie's bed: the future turtles—they were arriving today. Holy crap, today!

Too pumped to go back to sleep, she checked the clock and realized the alarm would go off in ten minutes anyway. Then, she noticed the faint sounds coming from the lab. Opening her mind a slit, she sensed Donnie's energy, laced with the acid yellow tint of anxiety, moving around beyond the brick and cement wall.

Still feeling the bruises Raph's words had left on her consciousness the previous night, she made a quick mental list of rules—no hugs, no kisses, not until she was ready to come clean—and kicked off her sheets.

Donnie took a deep breath, released the charge and...

Nothing! For the third time the portal lay completely inert on his desk, the test LED lights dead.

He slammed his fists on the table, metallic pieces and tools clattering. Why wasn't it working? He'd checked the connectors, dusted the chip thoroughly, discarded any fault in the cables, and the portal still did not light up. Which meant the wormhole's energy needed to make it function would not flow through its circuits. And the worst thing was, it was almost 3am!

He should've tested it before going to bed. Screw sleeping! If the portal wasn't operational before it was time to go, then there would be no point in going.

"Dammit!"

As he held his head in his hands, grunting, he heard a light knock at the entrance.

"Uh, Donnie? What's going on?" April ambled into the lab, frowning, and Donnie's stomach did a flip at the sight of her.

"Oh, uh..." he stammered, sick with battling emotions, and tried to concentrate his frustration on the portal. "Um, I… I don't know, it's not working. It was working fine yesterday when we tested it! I checked everything! Why is it not working?" he yelled at the desk.

"Did you know the cable poles on this battery are switched?"

"What?" Donnie followed April's finger with his gaze.

"I'm not an expert mechanic, but aren't reversed polarities a bad thing?"

"Yea-hah!" he cried, and rushed to the battery, confirming April's observation and promptly rearranging the cables to their correct polarities. "I could've fried the whole circuit! Stupid!" Then he flicked the switch, releasing the charge. "There! Now it works." He sighed, the colorful light-show sending a wave of relief through him that lasted a few glorious seconds.

Until April spoke again.

"You okay, D?" she asked. Rightfully so, because it wasn't every day that he would miss something so basic and obvious.

Be cool, Donnie. Remember what you and Leo talked about.

"Yeah, it's just… All that lack of sleep finally caught up to me I suppose."

"What time did you go to bed last night? I didn't hear you arrive." Her voice got dangerous. "Tell me you actually went to bed last night."

"Well, I didn't go to bed so much as I passed out. Does that count?" he said, and laughed a little too hysterically.

April shot him a chastising glare. He thought she would scold him, like Leo, but her tone was more worried than angry. Which didn't really make it easier to hear.

"You sure you okay? You're not having second thoughts now, are you?"

"No, I… I don't know, I'm…" He hesitated, and considered confronting her like Raph had said. Are you and Casey really together? Why didn't you just tell me? He was at the verge when a wave of vertigo hit him. Hands shaking slightly, he quickly stepped away from that rocky precipice, and feigned a smile. "It's nothing. Just one of those days. This whole future thing. Really, I'm just a bit... tense, you know." He motioned at the battery, feeling naked under her keen scrutiny. He knew she could tell when he was lying, but with a bit of luck she wouldn't make much of it, do him a favor, and shrug it off.

It seemed he was in luck.

"Today's the big day," she said, suddenly giddy. "I'm kinda freaked out myself. But excited!"

"Yeah!" Donnie squeaked, then immediately ran out of things to say. For what felt like a week, he could only swallow a couple times, staring like an owl. With all the stuff going on in his head, he barely made out April's scrunched-up face looking at him askance. "Excuse me, gotta…"

He skirted around her, away from the desk. Away from her. Spotting his tracker, he quickly strode to it and pretended to test it out, mumbling. He just needed… a moment.

"You know, the guys will be getting up right about now," he said. "Why don't you go ahead and have some breakfast and I'll be there in a bit?"

"Eckshellent, Massshter," a voice that was not quite April's, rough and sputtery, said.

He turned. April was limping towards him, her face contracted into a lopsided grimace, one eye squeezed shut. There was something protruding from her back, and it took him a moment to realize she had stuffed the inside of her shirt with the cot's pillow.

"I can prepare coffee for Masshter. Then Mashter might like shome ashishtance on hish nefarioush schemingsh?" she went on, rubbing her hands, and Donnie gawked, incredulous and fascinated. Her commitment to the role, down to her ruffled hair and clawed fingers, stole an actual smile out of him. He could feel laughter bubbling up inside him already.

Then April let out a wonderful nose-cackle and a snort, and Donnie finally gave in.

"Perhaps I do have some use for you, my trusty lackey," he announced, grinning, as he promptly yanked on a pair of leather gloves, and wiggled his fingers.

"Yessh, what ish Mashter's plan for today, Masshterr?"

"Same as every day, lackey," he replied with a dramatic finger pointed at the ceiling. "We try to take over the world!"

April sniggered, barely keeping in character. "Eckshellent, Mashter! Eightiethh time'sh the charm!"

That marked the end of the role-play session, as they were now drowning in laughter.

In Donnie's case, they were giggles of heartfelt relief. The longer he looked at April, as she looked at him through teary eyes, beaming, the more he wanted to cry.

"Oh, man," he squeaked just as his lip started to tremble, and grabbed the nearest rag in a panic to bury his face in, wiping off some very, very confused tears. But he felt good. Or he felt better…

He swallowed back a sob, hoping April hadn't noticed that, and emerged from the rag between some residual chuckles to peek at her, reassured that she was also busy wiping the corners of her eyes.

"Feel better?" she said, catching her breath, and grinned up at him.

Though a tad light-headed, this time Donnie didn't stumble. "Yeah. Yeah, actually. I do."

April yanked the pillow out of her back and turned around to greet an invisible applauding audience.

"You're great, April," he said wistfully, thinking of all the things he would say to her besides that.

She gave a derisive snort, flinging the pillow back at the cot. "No, I'm not. But thanks."

There's definitely a reason she didn't tell me about her and Casey, he thought. But whatever's going on, she will. And maybe I'll be ready then. Who's gonna blow a fuse, Raph? Not me!

He'd be lying if he said he was looking forward to it. To any of it. In fact he was pretty sure it would suck. To be honest, he didn't know how he'd manage, seeing them holding hands, giving each other googly eyes—kissing. But he sure was gonna try. If only to keep this—this right here, which he knew was already more than anything he could ever hope for.

Even if it sucked, it was in a way freeing. To know.

She cared about him. This was alright. And he would be alright. Maybe not now, but soon.

Which reminded him...

"Hey, April? I wanted to show you something." He must have sounded serious, because she looked at him a little suspiciously.

He went to his desk and opened the bottom drawer, pulling out the half-finished armor he'd been making her and spreading it on the table. The tough leather cuirass, still missing a couple of buckles on its side, would efficiently protect April's chest and stomach and still allow for mobility. Modest, but highly competent. Like her.

"Don't think too much of this, but… yeah, it's for you."

"For me?" she breathed, gazing at the cuirass.

"If you like it," Donnie said quickly. "I wanted it to be a surprise, but I thought it'd be better if you saw it, in case you didn't like it. You don't have to wear it, I just thought… But I would like you to wear it—I mean I think you should wear protection… armor… for the big missions, you know?"

"It's beautiful. I would totally wear it to school if I could."

He issued a cautious and still unbelieving, "Really?"

"Yeah." She nodded. So why didn't she look all that happy? She sighed. "I can't accept this."

He frowned, confused. "Why not?"

Three seconds passed and April was still staring at the armor. He almost expected her to confess right then and there. I'm sorry, Donnie, but Casey and I are a couple now, and me getting presents from you would be unfair and inappropriate.

He went ahead. "April, seriously, it's no big deal. Honestly this was long overdue. Karai was making hers and I thought, you know, not everyone has a turtle shell, and you need to be safe. That's all." He punctuated his words with a reassuring smile. Her eyes flicked at him and she bit her lip, before focusing back on the armor. "And-and you got me that book, so this just makes us even."

She chuckled, a light, quiet sound, and held the armor up in both hands. Finally, she looked excited. "Can't wait to wear it. It's great."

Feeling somewhat lighter, he stepped beside her to also contemplate it. "It's not as impressive as Karai's, but there's always time to add some rivets, or… spikes or something."

April gasped, getting an impish look. "We could dye it black!"

"Ni-i-ice!" he exclaimed, a much needed warmth bubbling through his middle, before Leo's distant voice tore through the silence, followed by several sets of knocks on wood. "Raph! Come on, bro. Mikey, don't make me use the water bucket, get up! Hey, Karai, you awake?"

"Well, time to get a move on," Donnie said, and softly back-handed April's arm. "Let's go grab something to—what?"

April hadn't moved. Gaze lost, she looked like she was trying to see something beyond the lab's solid brick walls.

"Karai? It's 3:06!" Leo's voice insisted.

Donnie saw April's brow furrow, and she turned her head to and fro as though looking for someone, and that's when he knew something was wrong. Donnie didn't ask again, and only waited.

After a whole 360º turn on her own axis, she covered her mouth. "Oh, no."

Leo stood in front of Karai's door, knuckles against it.

"Leo—" April's voice croaked behind him and he turned to see her arrive with Donnie, both looking anxious. One look at April was enough to know.

Leo turned the doorknob, pushing open the door, and flicked on the light switch.

The room was empty.

"Maybe she's in the bathroom, or the kitchen, or..." Donnie said, sounding distressed.

But it wasn't just that April knew, which in itself was usually enough: Leo stepped through the threshold and headed straight for the bed, where four little plush turtles set in a column greeted him from atop a bigger plush rat. And right under the rat's paw, a piece of paper. Queasy with dread, Leo gingerly took it without disturbing the turtle totem, and opened it.

It read simply:

'You tried.'

After turning it around a few times, he stood, unable to take his eyes off the two tiny words, written so carefully.

He couldn't believe it. She'd done it. Karai had left them, for vengeance. She must have snuck out while they slept, and Leo had a feeling she somehow knew where the Lotus Clan was hiding, planning their attack, and had gone to find them.

They had to go out in search for her! Bring her back! But where would they start looking?

"Where's Karaiwa?" said Mikey in a small voice. He and Raph joined April and Donnie in standing behind Leo, looking at him and the empty room.

"She's gone, Mikey." Beneath the concern and cold resignation, a part of him really hated her.

As he stared blankly at the note, frozen with indecision, he felt a light touch on his shoulder, and turned to meet April's kind blue eyes. She draped an arm over his shell, leaning her head on Leo's. He in turn held her against him, rubbing comforting circles on her back.

The blunt tap of a cane announced Splinter's arrival, and they all turned.

Sensei stood serenely in the middle of the hallway. There was no surprise in his gesture as he looked on. Only a melancholy certainty, as if he'd been expecting all of this.

Leo gently untangled himself from April's arms to approach Splinter, holding out the paper.

"I'm sorry, Master Splinter," he said tipping his head in a little bow.

Splinter took the note and glanced shortly at it. "It is not your fault," he said calmly, passing his gaze across all of them.

But maybe it was. Maybe it was...

"Leo…?" Donnie said softly, his own arm over Mikey's shoulders. He seemed to be grasping for words. "Um, it's time. If we're late to place the portal…"

Leo scoffed inwardly, and damn near told Donnie off. Although…

The future turtles had warned them about this. They knew this would happen. They knew Karai would leave! Maybe they could take them to her. It could be their last chance!

He straightened up, filled with a new determination, and looked up at Splinter. "The future turtles know something. They may be able to help. We can still bring Karai... Miwa back."

Splinter set his brow and gripped Leo's shoulder with his claw. "Go."

It was already 4:28 at the East River Park and Donnie was this close to screaming. Barely 5 minutes to go. With both Shellraiser and Party Wagon safely parked behind a stand of trees, he lead the team down the dark pathway in a quick march, the murmur of the Williamsburg Bridge traffic behind them. He'd taken out all lights in case someone in the buildings overlooking the park, or a boat passing by, happened to look.

While the others kept watch for anyone on the bike track, Donnie's attention was trained on the GPS. But every once in a while he watched April and Casey out of the corner of his eye.

They'd picked Casey up at his place. It had taken Raph a few minutes and a couple of instant coffee cups to get him to move, delaying them even more. He looked like crap, face pasty, walking in zig-zag, and still smelling of whatever ungodly concoction he'd been drinking. As for April, she hadn't so much as glanced at him, walking at Donnie's heel. Actually, so far they were both acting like they didn't even know each other. Obviously trying to play it casual.

He sighed to himself, and focused on his tracker, trying to ignore the pang of certainty.

At last they reached their baseball field, tucked in between two lines of trees. Pretty good for cover.

"This is it," he announced, but Leo grabbed his arm.

Someone was out there.

The party ducked under the shadow of a big maple tree, trying to determine where the voices were coming from. Raph pointed at a bench overlooking the field, and Donnie spotted the pair of dark shapes sitting there, apparently too busy making out to care about all the lights in the park going out.

Great. As if we needed more delays, he griped inwardly, anxiously glancing at his tracker's clock.

"Who comes here at 4 am and makes out in total darkness?" April whispered beside him.

"We may have to wait for them to leave," Leo said.

"We can't waste any more time!" Donnie insisted in urgent whispers, getting more nervous by the second. "The wormhole's gonna be reachable in exactly three minutes and 32 sec—"

Someone jumped to their feet and started yelling madly, startling the living bejeezus out of Donnie so that he almost dropped the tracker.

"Oh, hell no! I know ya not sitting on ma bench!" It was only Casey. The jackass had just burst through the bushes, growling and waving his arms like a low-class gangster. The couple's heads perked up. "This is our turf! You best make like a tree, like right now!"

There was a shuffle and a phone flashlight shone in their direction. What did Casey think he was doing? He was gonna get them all seen!

But Casey was actually quick. Stumbling a bit closer towards them, he pulled out his hockey stick and swung it wildly, almost toppling himself over, but succeeding in at least keeping the flashlight beam away from the mutants. "Go on, get outta here! Don't make me tell ya twice! I will cut you!"

The couple hopped to their feet and scuddled away like bunnies. Casey's silhouette turned slowly towards Donnie and the others. Stumbling slightly, he opened his arms in a clumsy flourish as though welcoming them to the Grand Theatre.

"And the property value just went down 15%," Donnie muttered impatiently, while April and Mikey snickered.

Leo made an 'it worked' shrug, and they stepped out into the field.

It was dark, the cold air loaded with water from the harbour. The cloudy sky glowed a dim brown, with patches of orange from the city lights, and Brooklyn twinkled at the other side of the river.

"These are the coordinates. ETA two minutes and 24 seconds," Donnie said, arriving at the pitcher's mound, rummaging in his duffle bag while the rest kept watch around the perimeter.

"So why a baseball field?" Raph asked from a few feet away, sounding slightly irritated.

"I don't get to choose a wormhole's itinerary, Raph," Donnie said, not in the mood for his brother's derision. Just as he was pulling out the portal projector and his high-end walkie-talkie, the lamp lights around them flickered.

"Did you see that?" April whispered, searching the tracker in her hands.

"That was likely the wormhole," he said, getting back to work. "Without the portal projector, it's too small to see, but you can see the effect it has on its surroundings."

Mikey poked in from the side to say in a whisper, "Dude… what if ghosts are really tiny wormholes to another dimension?"

Donnie had to stop what he was doing to frown at empty space, mind effectively blown. Sometimes he swore his brother was a genius. In his own way. But a beep brought him back to the present, and he shelved the theory for later.

"We got a nearby electromagnetic anomaly. A big one." April held out the blinking tracker, and Donnie leaned in for a look.

"It's close." He switched on his walkie-talkie and got immediate broadcast of music he'd never heard before. He turned the dial to the agreed frequency with fingers that shook. "Donatello? This is Donatello. Do you read? Over."

Three seconds of static passed, and then...

"Loud and clear, Donatello. We are in position."

A jolt of thrill ran through Donnie like a short circuit. That was his voice! His own voice, polite yet peppy, coming out of the walkie-talkie! Looking around in disbelief at his present family, now gathered behind him, he saw their wide eyes and open mouths. His own lips spread in an uncontainable grin, heart thudding. He snapped himself out of it to hold down the push-to-talk button.

"Roger that. Here we go." Everything else that had preoccupied him that day faded to the background as he took the tracker from April and pointed it around the exact coordinates, calculating the wormhole's trajectory. There it was, he could see it! A pinpoint of light, a ripple in the air, like a tiny jellyfish swimming closer.

"Stand back!" he ordered, and stretched out his hand, reaching out with the portal projector. He swept the air with his hand until he felt a tug.

Just a bit closer... Zip! The device snapped into place like a magnet. With a blast of turquoise light, the three pieces shot apart, ripping a large triangle gate right out of thin air. Behind him there were cries of shock and awe. At once an electrified breeze brushed against his face and arms and tousled the tails of his mask. When he opened his eyes, his heart stopped for a moment when six intense faces stared out at them from the other side, before realizing he was only looking at their own reflections.

"It's working!" April exclaimed, gripping his arm. The small gesture gave him strength.

The walkie-talkie clicked again. "We see the portal. Coming through."

Donnie took a lungful of air and mumbled into the speaker, "Ready."

Everybody on this end shifted nervously, and he took a last look in time to see Raph draw his sai. Leo, too, reached back for his swords, poised, eyes intent on the portal. Donnie resisted, though his hand twitched. He knew he could trust them. He knew. He didn't need his staff.

Still, he couldn't help but hold his breath. He felt the others' bodies rigid beside him as they waited, staring at their own undulating reflections on the chrome surface. There was a hum so deep he almost couldn't hear it.

Then the gleaming membrane wobbled, and something broke out of it. A dark figure landed on the grass before them with a clean thud. Immediately after, a second figure came through. And a third. Donnie took a step back and stretched his arm in front of April in instinct. He could hear the rustle of feet and the crackling of leather behind him as the others gripped their weapons tighter.

One by one the silhouettes came through, backlit by the portal's ghostly blue light, which kept Donnie from seeing their faces. And then…

"Ow!"

"Ah, dude!"

Two more figures burst out at once, barely fitting through the portal, bumping into each other and crashing into the ground in a tangle.

"Smooth, guys," Leo's voice said. But it wasn't Leo. Not the Leo standing beside Donnie at least.

One of the shapes stood and stretched a staff towards the portal's upper corner. With a click and a floop, all three pieces snapped back together, closing the gate, and the device fell, inert, at the newcomers' feet.

It took Donnie's eyes a moment to accommodate to the new twilight. And then he saw them.

His jaw fell.

"No need for these anymore. Over and out," the walkie-talkie in his hand said in the thunderstruck silence, and at the same time, the older, taller Donatello before them. Meanwhile the older Mikey and Casey scrambled to their feet behind him between grunts and shoves. The turtle in purple paid them no mind, and beamed. "Excellent work, Donatello!"

With euphoric relief, and gripped by a bout of quivery laughter, Donnie rushed over to himself, hand outstretched. "Literally couldn't have done it without you, Donatello!" He laughed again as they shook hands, his legs like jelly.

"Ho-o-oly Chalupa! We are amazing!" cried Mikey—his present Mikey.

Donnie turned to gaze at his group, all looking quite perplexed still, no wonder. He met April's eye, as she looked between him and Future Donatello with an open mouthed smile.

"And we got all of our limbs, guys!" Mikey went on, hacking away at the ice. "And I'm like... all adult in the body and stuff!"

"And I'm… huge!" Raph muttered in awe, obviously pleased with what he saw. And maybe a tad intimidated? Future Raph hadn't grown much on the Y axis. The muscle axis however…

Future Casey barked a laugh. "Only 'cause he trains with me." No longer the scrawny, dishevelled kid Donnie knew, Future Casey wore a sleeveless shirt with the only clear purpose of showing off his updated physique, even in the chilly spring night air.

"Oh my Glob. Oh my Jeebus," Mikey kept exclaiming and pointing. "Ooh, hey Leo! Nice duds, bro." He fingergunned at both Leos in turns, as the Future Leo was wearing his pale hooded shawl over a dark chest plate that was definitely new. He performed the most discreet of eye-rolls at Mikey's compliment, while present Leo only stared.

Then Future Mikey dashed in. "And you still haven't seen this!" He showed them his right hand, which seemed unnecessarily warm inside a woolen Ice Cream Kitty gauntlet. Present Mikey yanked the hand closer and squealed at it, loudly.

"Wow. You actually did it, Donnies," Raph said over the two giggling Mikeys, without taking his eyes off their future doubles. He seemed a bit more relaxed now that it had turned out not to be a trap.

Leo was still just gawking and hadn't said anything. And could he blame him? They were them! But a bit different. A bit bigger. It was so weird, seeing himself like an apparition, his doppleganger, standing there in front of him, looking back at him. This Donatello towered over everybody else, having long surpassed Casey's height. He was covered in tech. All the future turtles carried big hulky backpacks, but Donatello's had a lot more wires and antennae on it. Donnie was so in awe of what his own future looked like he kinda wanted to ask for an autographed picture. And was that an old repurposed Nintendo controller on his wrist? He would have to ask about that later.

His eyes flew almost dizzyingly from one future turtle to the other, taking them in detail by detail, like a game of spot the differences: the black and orange jacket tied around Mikey's waist; Raph's mask covering the whole top of his head; Leo's knee brace, which was somewhat troubling, and that new scar over his brow; Casey's hair was a lot longer, and Donnie was slightly concerned to see he still wore the same old bandana, which now looked worn and grayed, the white patterns faded.

And...

Donnie paused, noticing it a second before April said aloud, "So uh… where's future me?"

She exchanged a troubled look with him, and then they both turned questioningly to Future Donatello.

"Is anyone else coming through?" he asked, though it was a moot question. The portal was already closed.

A casual, "Nope, that's all of us for now."

"What about Karai?" Leo asked. First time he'd said anything.

Future Leo looked impenetrable behind his crossed arms. "You know, actually we were gonna ask the same thing."

"Don't get your shells in a twist. They just couldn't make it today," Future Raph retorted dismissively, and Donnie thought he saw him side glance at Future Leo.

"Why not?" Leo demanded.

"We'll talk in the lair. We're too exposed out here," Future Leo replied calmly, taking a look around. "The pendant is secure?"

"The Lotus has it," Leo said dryly, clearly not that interested in that particular topic, and continued to stare down his future self.

"But at least it's out of the lair," Donnie contributed optimistically, though that intruding sense of dread was already lodged in his gut. He didn't like the look that they gave him after he'd said that either.

"What," present Leo demanded again for him.

"Dudes, chill!" Future Mikey came in the crossfire flashing an ample smile and throwing his arms over Leo's and Mikey's shoulders. "We got it all way under control. Trust us, this is gonna be amazing! Come on!"

With a kinder gaze, Future Leo nodded, "What Mikey said. Where are you parked?"

Donnie pointed them in the direction of the Shellraiser and Party Wagon, and Future Leo immediately ordered a move on. Everyone followed without question, to Present Leo's chagrin. Yeah, he probably hadn't foreseen another Leo taking the helm.

They walked briskly and quietly back along the same track. He couldn't quite shake that feeling in the pit of his belly. But if these guys said everything was alright, then he was inclined to believe them. So far everything they'd said had turned out to be right. And they did seem pretty excited to be here. What reasons did he have to doubt them?

"So this is the past, huh?" Future Raph said as they approached the vehicles and Donnie restored the power to the park lights. "I remembered it—" he cracked his neck with a self-sufficient grin, "—bigger."

Surrounded by these versions of themselves, who were both familiar and complete strangers, Donnie was overcome by a sudden, vertiginous sense of causality. If life was a winding, capricious river as Splinter liked to say, then they'd just dynamited its bed, violently diverging its course down uncharted terrain, and vastly influencing all its surrounding landscape. How much had this extraordinary event altered the course of their entire lives? How different would this make them from the people who had moments ago arrived through that portal?

"Hey, I knew there was something different!" Casey cried excitedly all of a sudden, pointing at his jock of a future self. "You got new teeth! Raph, look at those pearls!"

Future Casey shot everyone an indeed pristine smile in reply. "That's right! Professional hockey really paid off for a while."

Casey shrieked. "I become a professional player?"

"Casey! We said no spoilers!" Future Raph gave him the usual thwack on the head, and Future Casey, as probably any Casey in all of the multiverse would, reacted by cackling.

So maybe not that much had changed...

Wa-hooaaaa HOLY CRAP. It's happening. They're here guys jalsdkfja.

Let us know what you thought! What do you think are their intentions? Can we trust them?

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