Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the TMNT franchise in any way, shape, or form. No money is being made. This is just a labor of love for the series. Please don't sue me, Viacom!

Alternate Universe fic. The timeline is the same as the TV series until just after "The Pulverizer Returns". We are still nine years in the future, but that's about to change.

Warnings: Still none here but that WILL change next chapter. So enjoy this final moment of peace because things are about to get serious!

Thank you very much for coming back! I know that you could easily spend your time somewhere else, so it means the world to me that you are here. :) If you enjoy what I have written, please feel free to favorite, follow, and/or review. Your words are my encouragement and believe me, sometimes I need all the encouragement I can get!

Chapter 5

Three hours later, April found herself staring at Donatello in complete disbelief. Despite the fact that he drank a pot and a half of coffee at breakfast, Donnie politely covered his mouth as he yawned. He noticed that she was staring and blushed. "Sorry. Still too much blood in my caffeine stream," he joked.

"You're going to run yourself into the ground if you keep this up. None of us want to walk into the lab to find you passed out while still half in the go cart's engine. Again," April fussed as she gently poked a finger against his nose.

"Patrol Buggy," Donnie corrected, making April have to fight the urge to smile. He'd been fighting that losing battle for years but he still wasn't budging. "The Shellraiser was out of commission and we needed a mode of transportation the next night. It was faster to make sure the Patrol Buggy was in working order than to repair the Shellraiser."

"Yeah, and it probably could have gone even faster if you'd taken a nap first." Donnie had the consideration to look embarrassed.

"Hey, April?" Michelangelo called as he came into the living room. "I think you forgot something the last time you stayed over."

"What makes you say that Mikey?" she asked.

"This," he blithely stated as he held up a small brassiere.

Donnie face palmed and turned as red as a tomato. April coughed, turning a bit pink herself. "Um, Mikey. That's not mine. It's…too small."

"Then…who's is it?"

"That's Kaiya-chan's, Mikey," Donnie said, still hiding his face in embarrassment. Why did Mikey have no tact?

There was a long pause. "No way, bro! She's not even double digits yet!"

"Why are you yelling like it's my fault!?" Donnie shouted back. "She's a growing girl. It was going to happen eventually. It just…happened sooner rather than later. Much to my woe, I assure you."

"What about Hikaru-chan?" Michelangelo asked apprehensively.

Donnie considered the question. "Well, she takes more after her turtle side. She probably won't develop in that way. Even if she does, her shell covers her. Kaiya-chan doesn't have a shell." He sighed wearily as he rubbed his forehead. "She already wears clothes so it should be just another part of her ensemble and yet, that one item implies so much more. All of it stress inducing," he muttered.

"Man, this sucks! That Bill Engvall dude is right. 'Women should get boobs at twenty-one. Just, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! BOOM! There they are,'" Mikey complained as he returned to the wash room and held the bra away from himself as though it were the most evil thing in the world. Donnie smiled at his brother. Yeah, that quote sure said it all.

"Those little girls are going to have a rough time when they get older."

"What do you mean?" Donnie asked April in honest curiosity. "THEY are going to have a rough time? What about ME?!" he thought.

"Well, not only do they basically have a mom and a dad rolled into one extremely protective package..." Donnie huffed at this but still turned a nice shade of pink. "…but they also have three overprotective uncles. Plus all four of you are highly trained martial artists. Boys aren't going to stand much of a chance."

"Any boy who tries is going to find himself drowning in raw sewage," Donnie growled as he aggressively scribbled a correction on the paper he was checking.

"I believe my point has just been made," April mused aloud with a smile. She put the conversation on hold for another time when she heard voices approaching. The girls they were just talking about plus their brother came into the room followed by their red and blue clad uncles. Both adults looked like they were in pain. April soon got to hear why.

"Ne, Leo-ojisan! What do you call a tooth in a glass of water?" Lewis cheerfully asked.

Leo sighed but decided to humor the boy. "I don't know, Lewis. What?"

"A one molar solution!" Lewis grinned while Leonardo just looked confused. April heard a chuckle from Donatello. Of course, HE would get it.

"You three need an 'off' button. Just like your mom," Raph grumbled.

"Lewis, don't you remember what Mother always says? 'If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate,'" Kaiya sagely stated before she and her brother giggled madly.

"Oo, I got one! I got one! The past, the present, and the future all walked into a bar at the same time. It was tense," Hikaru declared dramatically. Her serious expression dissolved into laughter that mingled with her siblings' as three out of the four adults groaned.

"You guys know that the United States is the only place you can find inch worms, right?" Donatello abruptly spoke up after he stifled a chuckle.

"REALLY!?" all three children said as they ran over to him. Leo and Raph breathed a thankful sigh, thinking that Donnie had come to the rescue.

"That's right. All the others had to convert to metric," Donnie answered plainly but he couldn't hide the playful gleam in his eyes. The kids blinked for a moment before they fell over each other laughing. He grinned.

"Donnie, don't encourage them!" Leo groaned. "We just spent all of breakfast listening to that kind of stuff." Donnie joined his children in laughter.

"Besides, I don't get it," Mikey said as he came back into the living room.

"Don't worry about it, Mikey. Be thankful you're not enough of a dork to get it," Raph said as he flopped himself down on the couch next to April.

"We prefer the term 'nerd', Raph-ojisan," Lewis stated proudly, holding his 'index' finger up in an exact mimic of his mother's lecture pose. "We'd rather not be called a word that is also an offensive term for a penis."

Raphael's eyes went huge at what just came out of his little nephew's mouth. "Donnie, exactly what have you been teaching them?"

Donatello, himself, seemed a bit astonished before he regarded his only son. "You've been reading the dictionary again, haven't you?" he asked with a smile. Lewis grinned broadly. "That's my boy!" He ruffled Lewis' mane playfully. The boy giggled then grabbed his arm to wrestle with it. Donnie's smile widened in delight. They didn't seem to be nervous about him anymore. He was so thankful for that. "I take it you had a good practice?" he asked as he set his papers aside, snagged the three of them, and affectionately nose bumped each in turn.

"HAI!" they sang out cheerfully as they squirmed in his grasp.

"Sensei was pleased with their progress. He says they are right on par with us when we were their age," Leo reported with a relaxed smile, stretching out on the floor beside Donnie. He chuckled when his younger brother yelped as he was overtaken by his enthusiastic children. "See how much energy you'd have if you just went to bed at a reasonable time?" he teased. "I think even Mikey would have a hard time dealing with you." He laughed at the filthy look Donnie managed to throw him before he was pulled onto his carapace by the efforts of the little terrors.

The four of them play-wrestled for a bit while others watched, talked, and made good-natured bets on who would 'beat' who. Donatello was hoping to work off some of the kids' energy. That way they could have a calm talk afterward. However, they were doing a better job of wearing HIM out. Kaiya hopped onto his plastron and grinned impishly down at him. He grinned mischievously in return and started tickling her. She squealed with laughter as she tried to guard her tickle spots. He chuckled before he cried out in surprise. The other two were trying to save their sister by initiating their own tickle attack.

Soon Donnie was on the defensive trying to fend them off while laughing and trying not to kick out too much for fear of hurting one of them. "Enough! Enough! I-hahaha! I give! I surrender!" he cried out while trying to curl into as much of a ball as his shell allowed. He gasped for air while the kids cheered in triumph. Then Lewis apparently decided that since the rescue was over, it was time to take one of his sisters down. He pounced the very one they'd just saved. Donnie sighed as he rolled onto his carapace again to try to catch his breath. He grunted when Hikaru jumped on him. "Time out, Hikaru-chan! Time out! Mommy needs a breather."

When she looked down at him with a grim expression, Donatello became confused and concerned. He watched her pupils' contract to thin rectangles from anxiety. However, she sounded more sad than nervous when she spoke. "M-Mom? I'm…I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to make you so mad."

Donatello's eyes softened. "Oh sweet pea…I'm sorry too," he said tenderly as he pet her head. "I've always encouraged you three to ask questions. It was hypocritical of me to jump down your throat for doing exactly that. Forgive me?" She was clearly startled at the returned apology but she nodded, bringing the smile back to Donnie's face. "Why don't you go play with your siblings for a bit longer? We need to talk, but you guys don't need to be revved up like you are now. OK?" She nodded again but this time with a relieved smile. Then she bent down, nose bumped him, and ran off to tackle Kaiya who currently had Lewis in a chokehold.

Donnie chuckled at Kaiya's squeal of shock as he rolled onto his hands and knees so he could crawl to where he'd been sitting. The others snickered at him. An embarrassed flush spread across his face but he was too wiped to stand up just yet. He groaned as he plunked down next to Leonardo again. His eyes closed while he tried to recuperate. After a couple of minutes, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He looked at Leo. "Raph filled me in. You're sure you want to do this? We didn't guilt or pressure you into it?"

He smiled weakly at his brother's concerned expression. "I am sure about this and no one's pressured me into anything."

Leo calmed at the reassurance. "You want Splinter to be here?" he asked as he rested a hand on Donatello's shoulder. Donnie startled at this. He hadn't thought about it and now his mind raced. Leo took one look at Donnie bewildered expression, chuckled, and patted his brother's shoulder before using it as a brace to stand up. "I'll go get him."

Donnie started to protest but instead forced himself to relax. "Leo…" Leonardo turned to look at him. Donnie swallowed emotionally. "…thank you." Leo smiled, winked, and then retreated to their sensei's room. Once Leo was gone, Donnie turned his gaze to his children. He watched them frisk around, marveling at their liveliness. "Was I ever that energetic?" he wondered. "No, I suspect that is from their father." He swallowed nervously as things really started sinking in. "Today is the day I tell them about their father. How do I do this? Where do I start? How much information is too much information? I want to tell them, not traumatize them."

Michelangelo seemed to sense Donatello's sudden mood change. He slid off the couch and settled at his brother's side. "You cool bro?" Mikey asked as he leaned against Donnie. Donatello jolted out of his thoughts and looked fretfully at Michelangelo. "Um…that's a 'no'. You'll do fine, Donnie. I'm sure of it. Besides, we'll be right here, dude."

"I-I know, Mikey. I just…" He closed his eyes before he quietly continued. "You know how I am. I just can't stop thinking about what I should tell them and how. I-I'm seriously freaking myself out. I just-" Mikey quieted Donnie's rambling by putting an arm around him and resting their heads together. Donnie trembled before he took a cleansing breath and relaxed into Mikey's hold. Sometimes, Michelangelo's confident presence was just the balm Donatello needed.

It wasn't long before Leonardo returned with Splinter in tow. Everyone that was sitting immediately stood up in deference to their sensei. Once Splinter had taken a seat, they returned to their relaxed posture but Donnie remained standing. Now that everyone had arrived he'd gone into planning mode. "What would be the best place for this?" he thought. "Well, I'm going to be the 'storyteller' so…I guess the best thing would be to face my 'audience' and place the trips between myself and the others. Maybe that will make it easier to alternate narration?" Once he'd come to a decision, he took about three steps away from the couch and sat down facing it, back to the TV.

He was just getting settled when Raph spoke up. "Donnie." Donatello paused to look up at Raphael. "Come here." Donnie blinked at this request but dragged himself back to his feet so he could approach his brother. He looked down at Raph once he was in front of him, yet Raphael gestured for him to come even closer. So, Donnie crouched down so that he was face to face with Raph. "I thought we were doing this together."

"Um…yeah. That's what I was planning."

"Then why are you sitting by yourself? Makes it look like it's us against you," Raphael growled. He smacked Donatello upside his head, making him yelp.

"S-sorry! I hadn't thought of that," Donnie anxiously said. He hadn't intended to send that kind of message. "I just thought that I should face everyone if I was going to be doing most of the talking."

Raph narrowed his eyes at Donnie. "Fine," he groused. "Do what you want."

Donnie looked unsure before he stood up and moved over to where he had planned on sitting. Even though Raphael had brought up a good point, Donatello still felt that it was the best place to set up. He had restarted his efforts to settle in when Raph stood up. He came over to Donnie and considered him for a moment. Just as Donatello was starting to get uneasy, Raphael sat down to his right with his back to Donnie, crossed his arms, and rested his shell against Donnie's side. Donnie's eyes went the size of bowling balls and he looked at Raph out of the corner of them. He felt like a box of lit dynamite had just sat next to him. Judging by April's muffled giggle, he must have looked hilarious. "Glad someone's getting a laugh out of this," he thought as he gave April a dry look.

Once she'd gotten herself under control, April decided to save Donnie's nerves. They were frayed enough. He watched her curiously as she came over and sat down on his left side. She rested her shoulder against his arm. Donnie was incredibly tense but she smiled as she felt some of that tension leave him at her touch. "Well, at least I've made up for Raph," she thought. She knew that making Donnie edgy was not Raph's intention. He was trying to show support in his own way. However, Raph had always been so cantankerous with Donnie that he expected to be manhandled more often than treated kindly. She caught a glimpse of Raph on Donnie's other side. The small smile on his face and in his eyes sent her his thanks. She winked at him in return.

It was only a few minutes after the group was settled that Donnie decided that the kids had worked off enough energy. He called to them and they stopped crawling all over each other to look at him. Kaiya was the first one to come over. She was soon followed by Lewis and Hikaru who were still shoving each other playfully. The three took one look at all the adults and instantly became worried.

Donnie tried to calm them. "You three didn't do anything wrong so you can't be in trouble." All three of them relaxed. They didn't want to know what they had to do wrong to get their grandfather AND their uncles in on the lecture. Donatello gestured for them to sit which they did without hesitation. After taking a fortifying breath, Donnie began. "I already spoke a bit to Hikaru, but I still feel that owe you an apology for last night. You three were asking questions that I didn't want to face the answers to. So I lashed out to make you stop asking them. I frightened you. I was wrong to do that and I'm sorry." Donatello closed his eyes, hung his head, and waited for the children to process what was said. His eyes opened again when three little sets of arms tried to wrap themselves around him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he returned their hug.

He allowed himself to cherish the moment even as he silently hoped it wouldn't be the last. Donatello continued once they were sitting again. "Because of what happened, I stayed up thinking about what I could do or should do. I ended up realizing that I was being unfair…and cowardly." The kids looked at each other at this. The idea of their mom being a coward about anything was completely foreign to them. Donnie didn't give them time to dwell on it. "I convinced myself that I was protecting you. While that was part of it, I was also protecting myself." He paused long enough to steel himself. "That ends now. I decided that what happened last night can't and won't happen again. Today, I tell you everything about where you came from and who your father was."

A/N: And so it begins! The moment of truth! I hope you all are enjoying my story so far. I promise that I will continue to do my best. If you like what you've read so far, please feel free to favorite, follow, and/or review. I really do want to hear from you! :D