"Motherhood" or "Young Again"
By: TMNTlover4ever
Part 5: Splinter Returns

Disclaimer: Well, I could lie and say I did own them. Or I can tell y'all the truth which is I don't own them. I like the first one best.

TMNT theme song

Sheri:

Have you ever felt like you should do two separate things, but you can't force yourself to do either of them? Like right now, I want to run or attack, yet I am standing there as if I was frozen. Maybe it's the cold rain finally kicking in or maybe cuz I'm tired.

Shredder and his forces stepped closer. I felt like an animal, a trapped animal that couldn't get out of the trap. However, I could. I could fly, but why didn't I move? Why couldn't I move? Why wouldn't I move?

"No attacking? No running away? You're making this all to easy, Sheri." Shredder said.

I glanced behind below and behind me for a minute and saw a fire escape. Good. I flipped backwards off the building and landed on the fire escape. I knew that it wasn't over.

From there, I jumped onto the streets and turned invisible while I flew just inches above the street, horizontally.

"Follow her. And I want her back...alive." Shredder the Elite Ninja, Hun, and the Foot Soldiers. They all bowed and then left in a cloud of smoke.

I remained silent and kept my eyes alert. I was now on the Empire State Building, looking at New York City from here. Not a bad view, but I wasn't here for pleasure. If I know Shredder he set up guards around every manhole in NYC. I can't go home.

With 5 little children, 1 big child, and a worried red-head at home, I needed to be there, but I couldn't be. I couldn't call Casey or April just in case Foot Soldiers were near.

I flew to a different building, south of the Empire State Building.

I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around. I am so naive.

WHAM!

I flew back a couple feet and turned visible again. In front of mewere Foot Tech Ninjas with special goggles on that I guess were for seeing heat.

"Okay, you wanna play rough now, huh?" I asked.

They disappeared. Shit.

I swung into the air, blindly. I had no clue where they were at. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, on my stomach. I suddenly felt a metallic foot on my back.

"Hello, again, Sheri. We really need to quit meeting like this." Shredder said.

He was putting enough pressure that I couldn't move much. He was too heavy between his muscle and his metal suit to lift. I was pinned.

"My dear, it's come to my attention that you need 'guidance.' I can give it to you. Join us and our magnificent Foot Clan. If you do, I can tell that newspaper that you didn't murder your parents. I have the power to do that." Shredder offered.

"Let them think what they want. I don't care." I said harshly.

"Maybe not. But what if your Master or one of the turtles saw this article?"

"They'd believe me."

"Are you sure?" Shredder asked.

"Positive."

"You still don't want to join, do you, my dear?"

"I'd die a million deaths before I'd join the Foot." I said.

"Tsk, tsk. Such a waste of great power." He kneeled down and put his spikes up to my neck. I knew this was it. He pressed harder into my back and was digging the heel into it. It hurt like hell.

I made no noise. I was going to go down a loser. Not a warrior that fought til the last breath. Not a hero that sacrificed her own life for someone else's. Just a loser. A loser that couldn't fight because she was tired, weak, and wasn't good enough. I closed my eyes.

I heard an "Oof!" and the sound of metal hitting concrete. I felt a lot of weight come off my back and realized I had been saved, but by whom?

I got up quickly and looked back to see 3 turtles there with their weapons drawn and the fourth one on top of Shredder, trying to dig his sai out from Shredder's back.The icing on the cake...


April:

"Leo! Don! Mike! Raph! Where are you four?" I asked throughout the lair. Nobody answered. Angel then came running in. She was barefoot and wearing a yellow sundress with white daisies on it.

"We'we pwayin' hide and seek." She said to me.

"Oh. Okay. I didn't want to lose them." I said. She smiled and ran off to the dojo area in search of the other little ones to win the game. But something kept me suspicious. I don't know why...


Sheri:

Shredder flipped himself to his feet and had the rambunctious turtle in his hands. He was holding the little Raphael by the top of the shell. He held him with an outstretched arm and the little Raphael was now swinging blindly in mid-air, trying to hit anything he could reach.

"What is this?" He asked.

My head startedpounding all of a sudden and my sides felt like they were on fire. My knees buckled from under me and I fell with my hands on my sides. I tried to stand, but I couldn't and before it went dark, I saw a bunch of Foot Ninjas grabbing at the little turtles. I hope they held out. Then, darkness engulfed me.


Casey:

"Casey Jones, have you seen the little turtles?" Casey asked from the kitchen.

"Um...Yeah, they were playin' with Angel last time I checked." I yelled from the couch.

"That's what she said. They must be really good if she couldn't have found them by now." April said.

"Well, April, they are ninjas. Ya know, art of invisibility." I said as I found the remote and turned on the many monitors, flipping through the channels to ESPN.

"Yes, something that would help you, if you were willing to learn it." I heard a voice say at the entrance.

Master Splinter stared up at me.

"Sheri has told me that something has happened. And I have sensed it. I need to know what happened here." He said calmly.

"Well...it's a funny story, really." I smiled nervously. Where was Sheri when you need her?

"Enlighten me, Mr. Jones." He said even more calmly.

"Well, I don't know exactly how it happened, but somehow your sons became 'younger.'" I explained.

The wise rat had a confused look to him.

"They are 8 years old again." I said.

"And where are they now?" Splinter asked.

"Playin' with Angel."

"My sons, come out please." Nothing moved. Except Angel came out of her room. She had a worried look to her face.

"Is something wrong, Angel?" Splinter asked her.

"No, it's nothin'." She said.

"Do not try to fool an old rat."

"Okay, weww, umm...Weo, Waph, Don, and Mikey went aftew Shewi!" She said.

I could tell by Master Splinter's face that he sensed something.

"Mr. Jones, please accompany me to the surface, now." He had a worried tone in his voice.

"Okay." I got up and got my bag.

"Where's Ms. O'Neil?"

"I'm here." She stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Mr. Jones and I are going out."

"Yes, I heard. I'll take care of things at the base." She said.

Splinter nodded and then we left. He a bit more graceful than I.

Finally we got to the surface and we split up to cover more ground. I rode my motorcycle and Splinter took the rooftops.


Master Splinter:

Something is very wrong with Sheri and my sons right now. I can sense their fear. I need to find them and quickly! If what Mr. Jones told me was correct, than they're in grave danger.

I hopped from rooftop to rooftop, hoping to catch a glimpse of any of my loved ones.

Somebody was coming. I dived in the shadows and watched as about 13 Foot Soldiers went by.

As they went by, I noticed that 4 of them had little green turtles in their arms and 1 had a teenage girl that was Sheri. She was her human self. This is not right, Sheri should be in her ghost form. She would never fight like that.

I followed them, swiftly and quietly. I figured that bringing Mr. Jones into this would only get me caught. He isn't the most graceful person I know.


Foot HQ
Sheri:

Aw...shell. Where am I?

I looked around to see the little turtles with me in a prison-like cell.

Mikey was playing with his yo-yo in a corner of the cage. Don and Leo were looking around, I guess trying to figure a means of escape. And Raph was just standing there, leaning against the cage with his arms crossed. He, too, was looking around at the surroundings, but in little glances.

I noticed we were in Oroku Saki's office. Apparently, this is important to him if we get the dishonor of being in his office.

I looked at myself. I was human. Weird. I suddenly felt as if my gut was on fire.

"Ah!" I yelped as I held my gut and hunched over.

The turtles ran over to me and were asking so many questions at once.

"You alright?"

"What's wrong?"

"Where are we?"

"How'd we get here?"

"Sheri, how are we gonna get out of here?"

"Where's Splinter?"

"Hush." I said. I heard footsteps. Metallic ones. Shredder. I wonder if he knows that these little ones are his worst enemies.

I tried to turn back to my ghost self, but it isn't working. Oh shit. I'm powerless.

The doors opened to reveal a very, very short Foot soldier with metallic boots. I cocked my head at the sight of him.

"Sheri? Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Okay, thisis mondo weirdo. A Foot Soldier asking if his prisoners were okay? Seriously, scary.

"How about you, my sons?"

I smiled. Master Splinter saves the day!

"Master Splinter?" Leo asked.

Splinter took off the mask and revealed his hairy face.

"Yes, I am here. Are you alright, my sons?" He repeated.

"Yes," came a chorus of voices.

"Good. We must leave, swiftly and silently." Splinter said as he opened the door.

"I brought these, just in case."

Splinter handed me a grappling hook and he himself held one.

"We'll go out the window." He said.

Good. I like trashing Shredder's place.

I whirled the grappling hook and threw it through the window causing glass to shatter everywhere. The grappling hook connected with a flagpole on top of a taller building.

"Okay, who's riding with me?" I asked.

Donatello wrapped his arms around my waist and Michelangelo sat on my shoulders. I swung off.

Splinter whirled his grappling hook and threw it, making it land on another flagpole, East of where Sheri's landed.

Splinter had Raphael wrapped around his waist and was waiting for Leo to get on when he heard a cry of help.

"Master Splinter! Help me!" Leo cried.

Shredder had his pointy shred spikes on Leo's neck. He didn't apply any pressure, it was just a threat.

"Stop where you are, or I'll kill him." Shredder threatened.

Master Splinter stared him down, and slowly put the grappling hook down and stood still. Raphael, however, seemed to have disappeared.


Master Splinter:

This is every parents worst nightmare. Seeing their son or daughter being threatened and being controlled by it.

"Okay, rat, if you want him to live, you need to do something for me." Shredder said.

"What?"

"Kill her."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." I said calmly.

"Kill, Sheri. I know you have the power to. You just need the proper, 'drive' to do it."

I stood still not answering. I saw a little figure in the corner, a sai gleamed as he stepped into the light.

It all happened so fast. Raphael kicked Shredder in the back causing Leonardo to fall forward. There, I picked him up and Raphael jumped on my back. With one hand, I swung out of the Shredder's office. Eventually, we all made it home.


The Lair
Master Splinter:

"You need rest, Sheri." I told her. It was around midnight now. Sheri was pacing back and forth in front of the couch. The little ones were all asleep and Sheri was trying to find answers.

"But, Sensei, I can't use my powers. I've been having these 'burns' in my gut, and sides-" I interrupted her.

"Describe to me these 'burns.'"

"Well, I just feel like my sides are on fire. And sometimes my gut."

"Has it occurred to you, my dear, that maybe your powers are...um...how would I put this? Umm...your powers may have reached an expiration date?" I asked.

"I doubt it, Sensei. The Silver Sentry's powers haven't stopped working." She stated.

"Maybe you should ask him why your powers have stopped working. From one superhero to another, yes?" I said.

"Maybe. I'll call him-"

"In the morning." I finished as she reached for the phone.

"But, Sensei-"

"Don't 'but, Sensei' me. You are in enough trouble already, by not telling me about my sons' 'ageing problems,' young lady."

She bowed her head to her chest.

"I just wanted you to have a good, long, vacation. You need it."

"Well, now's not the time to take one. Now, please go to bed. We will discuss matters further tomorrow in the morning."

Kids...

"Good night, Sensei." Sheri said as she went to her room.

"Good night, Sheri."

I turned out the lights to living room/dojo area. And walked to my room. So many things were happening to our family. If we are to bring Ying and Yang back our household, we'll need Sheri to get her powers back, and my sons to be their rightful ages, once again.

To Be Continued...


A/N: Sorry it took soooooooooo long, but I've been busy. This isn't my greatest chapter, but it gets the job done. I'm also working on another piece that is like the cartoon that was on 4kidstv today. (The one where Don goes to the future.)
Only I'm makin' some twists. It was sad that Leo, Raph, and Mikey died, I thought I was going to cry. So I'm working on that. R&R. Hope you enjoyed this.