Thank you so much for the reviews last chapter. They really made my day. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you all enjoy. : )

Chapter 25: Moment

Mikey sat on the edge of his bed and stared down at his T-Phone, the picture of him and Noelle together cheerfully reflecting back up at him while his right leg bounced up and down anxiously. His eyes dejectedly focused on Noelle as he rubbed a thumb tenderly over her face, wishing more than anything that she was with him right now. He still couldn't believe everything that had happened that very same day, from opening presents together in the morning to ice skating at the park, to her literally being snatched away from him only minutes before he was planning to confess his feelings for her. He'd been too late, and now she was gone.

Truthfully, Mikey didn't really know what he was planning to say once he and his brothers found her again. He refused to believe there would be an if, only a when. To imagine a world without his best friend made him feel even more nauseous than he already felt. It was enough to make him lay on his bed and stare blankly ahead at the scattered objects in his unkempt room, wondering how he was ever again going to be able to ever crack his usual silly jokes, or stuff pizza into his mouth like a mutant pig instead of a mutant turtle. He knew it would freak his family out, but what would the point be when he was so sad? Even now, it was hard for him to remain so positive, but he had to, and that was only because he refused to let go of any hope he had of finding Noelle. If he gave up so quickly, then how could he call himself her friend? Mikey knew he was a screw-up, and that he had made a gazillion mistakes that would make anybody give up on him, but Noelle stood by his side and believed in him when nobody else did. She didn't make fun of him, and had even admitted to admiring him. Nobody else had ever put that belief into him before, or made his heart pound fast or face heat up to the point where he thought he was running a fever the way she did.

And so he collapsed and lay spread out on his bed, face tilted toward the ceiling and phone still in his hand while he contemplated how the rest of the day could possibly go. Scenarios from multiple comic books he'd divulged into in the past infiltrated his memory in one giant blur, and it wasn't easing his anxiety in the least bit. For instance, what if Noelle was hanging over a pit of giant spiders who wanted nothing more than to eat her flesh? She could also be in a net over a pot of ooze that turned her into a monster, or maybe she was tied up and dangling upside down outside the tower for the whole world to see!

"Ahhh!" he cried out as he shot up and covered the sides of his face in a panic, his pupils shrunken in terror as each circumstance ended up being worse than the last. He took deep breaths and closed his eyes, wishing that Leo would just hurry up and come back so they could go rescue her. Each minute that went by was one more moment of her possibly being tortured, and it was absolutely tearing him up. It was so hard for him to remain reassured when the unknown was happening to Noelle without him around to help her. He felt like puking and running around at the same time, which in his mind was a terrible combo, so he merely bit his lower lip and continued bouncing his leg while taking deep breaths the way Sensei had taught him in training so many times.

All he knew was that if he didn't find Noelle and tell her how he felt, then he was absolutely going to go crazy, and not the funny kind either.

A sudden rap on his door ceased all conflicting thoughts, his leg halting in movement as he lifted his head up towards the sound.

"Yo, Leo's back. Let's go."

Releasing a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, Mikey bounded towards the door and flung it open, his hand practically shaking as it gripped the door knob and turned. Raph stood on the other side with a raised brow, taken aback by his little brother's instantaneous reaction as his fist gradually lowered from its knocking position. For a moment, they just stood there wordlessly looking at other, lips pressed into thin lines as seconds of silence ticked by while neither one could figure out what to possibly say. Raph wasn't the best person when it came to dealing with emotions, and he knew that at that moment Mikey was perhaps looking for some sort of reassurance that everything would work out okay. Mikey, who was usually so optimistic and full of hope, had a look of apprehension in his eyes that was unnerving to Raph. He disliked seeing his little brother so bothered, especially when he knew that part of the younger turtle felt that what had happened was his fault.

Finally, Raph sighed and rubbed the back of his head, figuring that now would be the best time to provide some sort of wisdom that Leo would have been far better at contributing. "Listen, little bro, I want you to know that everything will be okay. We'll get her back, ya know?"

Mikey's gaze slid down to his feet before he closed his eyes for a moment and then refocused on Raph. "I know we will, but it's just hard because I really miss her, bro. She liked me when nobody else did, and now I kinda feel lost without her. I just wish she was here with me. She belongs here."

Raph reached over and patted Mikey's shell, who offered a small appreciative smile at his older brother's gesture. "I'm sorry we never took you as seriously as she did, and we have always liked you. You've just...you've always been my silly littler brother you know? And you're right; she does belong here. We all miss her, and we will definitely find her tonight. So, let's go get Donnie and Leo so we can get your girl back, okay?"

Mikey felt pride swell in his chest at the words "your girl", and he supposed it was because she really had become his girl. He wasn't really sure when that had happened, but it had and he was grateful for it. She was kind and talented and beautiful, and he didn't want anybody else to ever take her spot. It was either Noelle, or nobody at all.

"Thanks Raph," the young reptile gratuitously simpered with a head nod before he proceeded to hurry down the stairs, not wanting to waste another minute. The sooner he found his best friend, the sooner he could relax and feel happier again.

Leo and Donnie waited at the bottom of the stairs, both armed and ready to go. Leo was texting on his phone while Donnie clipped a small bag to his belt and tied the ends of it securely. Casey and April had also arrived and were leaning against the turnstiles patiently. April wore her yellow winter coat while Casey disdainfully donned a thick ebony sweat shirt, and even that April had to lecture him on.

Master Splinter stood in the middle of the den, as he had decided he would see his children off for their mission, especially since he was also worried about Noelle. She had become like a daughter to him, and he was worried about her. He hoped that both her and her mother would be safely rescued by his family. The last thing he wanted was to lose another child.

"Alright, Karai is ready to go when we are," Leo announced to the group as he put his phone away. "Does anybody have any questions before we leave?"

"Yeah, how do you know your girlfriend isn't planning to start something with us or trap us instead?" Raph scoffed, still mistrustful of the Kunoichi who refused to believe Splinter was her dad. Any ally of the Shredder was an enemy in his eyes, and he didn't care if she was their adopted sister or not. One wrong move, and he'd be more than happy to put her in her place.

The Leader rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his plastron. "She isn't talking to the Shredder right now because he refuses to take her fear of the Kraang abducting Earth seriously. He's had her locked away in the dungeon like a prisoner so she broke out and is willing to fight with us to protect our planet. She doesn't want those scum balls to win anymore than we do, so I say we take whatever help we can get. Also, she isn't my girlfriend."

"Leonardo is right," Splinter agreed, drawing all eyes to him. "It is important to work together and defeat this common enemy. Sometimes, your greatest enemy can be your most formidable ally when there is an even bigger danger present. Work together, and bring Noelle home." He specifically looked at his youngest son as he finished speaking, and watched as Mikey bowed his head.

"Hai Sensei."

"Don't worry, Casey Jones is on it," Casey declared proudly, his hockey mask lifted up to reveal his painted face underneath. April smirked from beside him but internally agreed that they would all do their best to rescue their friend. After all, Noelle had become like a sister to her over the last few months, and while she wasn't really saying anything, she was just as worried as Mikey, though her worrying was a little different,, as the love she and Mikey had for Noelle wasn't the same.

"Anyways, we should probably move," Donnie commented. He playfully elbowed Mikey and offered a gap-toothed grin. "You'll like how we're going to get there."

[][][]

All six teenagers glided over the bustling nightlife of New York with whoops and hollers, fully determined and ready to reach their target. The late evening air tickled faces and fingertips as it carried the modest group towards their destination through the dark sky. Even Mikey smiled as he basked in the freedom of flight, though his heart stung a little when he saw Donnie and April in the same two-person glider he'd shared with Noelle about a couple months ago, April giggling just the way Noelle had.

All the brothers wore their hats,coats and scarves, not feeling foolish enough to fly in the winter breeze without some sort of protection against the frigid cold. The sky was clear and concealed by scattered stars, which fortunately meant a lack of snow in the nearby future. Mikey mostly remained silent during the flight, as his thoughts were most focused on finding Noelle and breaking her out. He didn't yell "buzz buzz" like he usually did, nor did he insist on wear the Turflytle costume as he had in the past. His brothers understood though, and didn't bother asking him about it.

"I'm seriously never going to walk again," Casey declared with grin as he twisted his glider in the air and laughed emphatically. "I don't know how you guys don't do this every day!"

"Because it's risky," Leo responded, though he himself fully enjoyed maneuvering high above the city streets. He always enjoyed the view and advantage the maneuver gave him, but if they weren't careful and somebody looked up, they could easily be spotted. It wasn't something he was entirely worried about, but with Shredder and the Kraang around, he and his brothers could never be too cautious. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with actually running around and exercising."

"Then why aren't we all climbing up the building with Karai?" Raph asked, still not fully intent on trusting Shredder's adopted daughter. It was hard to trust somebody who attacked his father and family, biological or not.

"Because this was is much faster and less inconspicuous," Donnie replied, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the roof of the building they were aiming for. "Destination in sight."

Something built up in Mikey as the rooftop grew closer, a sort of anger that made him want to run inside and push everything out of the way. The rage he felt wasn't exactly the same as Raph's; his fists didn't want to punch through walls, and he didn't want to kick a Kraang's head in. Truthfully, as his eye narrowed and his fingers tightened into into a grip, he found himself just wanting to stand on the roof and scream Noelle's name really loudly so she knew he was there. It was a protective sort of anger that made his blood boil in an unfamiliar way, and even though he wasn't the person in the group who absolutely loved to fight, he realized at that moment that he would absolutely do whatever was necessary to grab Noelle, take her in his arms, and pull her away from a prison she didn't belong in. He remained silent though, and instead smiled in his determination to get her back.

The group landed carefully on top of the building as Karai emerged from the shadows with her lips pressed into a thin line. "About time you guys got here. I was about ready to go in without you." She scanned the group silently, her eyes locking into a glare with Raph as they stared at each other disdainfully, the dislike strongly evident.

Before words could be exchanged, Leo shouldered off his glider and pressed it down into its compact mode so he could carry it on his back easier, the others following his example. "Alright, here's what we're going to do; we're all going to head into the building at once and see if we can find the prison floor. We'll split up into two teams so we can search two floors at once. Casey and Karai are with me, and Mikey, April and Donnie are with Raph. If something seems out of place, contact each other immediately, understand? Same goes with when one of our teams finds Noelle. We want to get out of here as soon as possible. My team will take the top two floors, and Raph's will take the next two, and so on. Understand?"

Everybody nodded their heads and entered the building all at once. Fortunately, the door at the top didn't require a code of any sort to open, so all that needed to be done was find the stairs and go from there. Leo's group went first to check the top floor, while Raph's group searched for the nearest staircase and headed down two floors. Usually the hot head liked to be in the front where all the action was, but this time it was Mikey who bolted forward and seemingly led the group around the area until they found a door leading to the stairwell. His other three teammates exchanged head nods before they followed after him, both surprised and yet not by the youngest turtle's determination to find Noelle. There was a mutual understanding that out of all the members in their group, Mikey was the one who missed her the most, and none of them were going to stand in the way of him finding her.

As soon as they exited the stairs, Mikey wasted no time in opening random doors lined up alongside the hallway. Some of the rooms were dimly lit with boxes of spare robot parts, just like in the warehouse, and a couple other rooms had the Kraang bots plugged in and charging.

"We might want to go somewhere else," April whispered as Raph grabbed onto Mikey's shell to prevent him from entering into said room. Donnie shut the door quietly behind them and they made their way over back to the other side of the building to go down even more stairs. Unfortunately, the next floor had a few Kraang guards walking around and fully armed with their weapon blasters.

They group of four barely had time to duck around a corner before shots were fired, leaving little crisp holes in the sides of the walls. "Well, this is fun," Raph grumbled as he shot ahead, rolled off to the side, and stabbed his Sais into the sides of two Kraang droids. The bots crumbled onto the ground with static sparking out of them.

"Yeah, a blast," Donnie sarcastically agreed as the blade popped out of the end of his Bo staff and he speared one of the mechanical creatures in the side of its head. April popped out from behind him and whipped her fan forward, cutting off the heads of three more robots before promptly returning back to its owner. April caught her weapon and stepped off to the side as Mikey shot past her and briskly knocked down a couple Kraang before he took a deep breath and yelled.

"NOELLE!"

"Dude, shut up," Raph hissed as he knocked his little brother on the back of his head. "You're going to alert everybody that we're here!"

"But how is Noelle supposed to know that I'm here?" Mikey countered with his brows furrowed together in frustration. "What if she's hidden in the walls or something and we can't find her?"

[LOST-Ocean's Apart]

"We will find her," April reassuringly promised. "I know we will. Just keep a cool head and let's keep searching. My powers should be able to let me know if she's around or not."

Mikey sighed, but nodded, knowing that the redhead was right. Yelling around wouldn't help anybody, and Noelle was counting on them to find her, so that's what he'd do. Seeing his brother calmed down, Donnie patted him on the back of his shell, and the small team continued their run until they reached the third floor below.

"Guys," April breathed out as they stepped into the corridor and she placed a hand against the side of her head. "She's here."

Mikey wasted no time. Relieved that the corridor didn't contain any guards, he cantered through the passageway, his feet slapping against the shiny silver flooring as he briskly looked into the windows of each and every room, wishing that the next one he came across would have Noelle in it.

"No. Not here. Nope. Dang it. C'mon." He felt himself growing increasingly disappointed until he finally came across a door right in the middle. His heart hammered in his chest as he peered into the oval window and saw her sitting on the bench, looking down into the city below with her forehead pressed against the glass.

"Noelle!"

The blonde lifted her head up and looked at her cell's door, her eyes widening and watering as she raced over and pressed her hands against the glass separating them. Mikey pressed his hands over hers as they just stared at each other. He compassionately smiled at her while she laughed in both surprise and happiness as a tear slid down her cheek before she returned the smile.

"Ugh. Donnie, hurry up and open the door before I get sick," Raph directed, but the corners of his mouth were upturned, evidently happy that his brother and Noelle had found each other again. Donnie nodded and hurried over to the lock just outside the door, cutting apart a bottom of the box and messing with the colored wires while Mikey and Noelle just stared at each other. In a matter of seconds, the lock beeped and the door sprung open. Before words could be said, Mikey entered the small room and quickly pulled Noelle tightly into his arms while she buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, tears falling down her face in relief. His hands rubbed her back and head tenderly, not wanting to let her go again.

[+]

Raph pulled out his T-Phone and hit Leo's name. The phone rang twice before his older brother answered.

"Hey, you guys doing okay?"

"Yeah, we found her."

Leo exhaled a sigh of relief. "Good. We'll meet you on the fortieth floor. According to Donnie's map, there is a large room there that I want to check out."

"Sounds good." Raph hung up and turned his attention back to his brother and friend, who finally pulled apart. April had watched the entire scene with her hands folded over her heart and grinning, beyond happy that her friend was safe, but also touched by the reunion between Mikey and Noelle. She wondered if Donnie would act like that if she was ever taken, to which her gut told her yes.

"Are you okay?" Mikey asked as he used his thumb to smear away the wet trails on Noelle's face. She nodded and smiled at him.

"Yes, they didn't do anything to me. Thank you for finding me."

"Always," he responded without thinking, to which both their faces turned pink.

Donnie kindly cleared his throat and placed a hand on Noelle's shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to move. We've got another several floors to go before we meet up with Leo."

April quickly walked up to Noelle and pulled the blonde into a hug before she stepped away with a smile and handed over the Jutte. "Here. Made sure to grab this for you."

"Thank you," Noelle replied as she took her weapon and held it to her chest. She'd been foolish to have left the lair without it, and she planned on not making the same mistake twice. She nodded her head at Raph, and beamed contently when she felt Mikey give her hand a squeeze before he pulled her forward and let go. She could no longer deny the fact that she'd fallen for her best friend, and wondered if she'd ever gather up enough courage to tell him. For now though, she would follow him and the others, and do her best to prove herself as not being a hindrance any longer. She'd fight to get out, just as they'd fought to find her.

Of course, things never happened easily for the group of teenagers. More Kraang bots waited for them on the destined floor. Fortunately, Leo and his team arrived just in time to help.

"Glad to see you're doing okay," Leo declared to Noelle as he stabbed a bot in the chest and watched it keel over to the side.

"Yeah, welcome back Blondie," Casey called out to her with a grin. He shot a few hockey pucks towards a couple bots and cheered in satisfaction as they collapsed onto the ground.

"Next time, don't get caught!" Karai glared at the blonde before she also assisted in destroying a few Kraang. Noelle was surprised to see Shredder's daughter, but she was glad that the Kunoich was on their side, even if temporarily.

"So, is your mom not here?" April asked once the remaining robots had been destroyed. All eyes turned to Noelle, who lowered her head and bit her lower lip.

"I honestly don't know. I didn't see or hear her. I tried calling her name but nobody replied back to me, and I think she would've heard me."

"Then maybe we're lucky that a pair of giant suspicious looking doors are right behind us," Karai sarcastically pointed out with a tilt of her head. Everybody in the group looked up at the looming ivory doors, and then down at the lock inserted directly in the center of the door. All eyes turned to Donnie who tried not to look proud as he stepped forward and began using an app off his T-phone in front of the electric lock. In a manner of seconds the lock beeped and the doors unlocked with a click before creeping open.

Leo was the first to poke his head in before he waved everybody else forward, signalling that the area was clear. When Mikey saw what was before them, his lips parted as he whispered "woah". Noelle wordlessly just stared at the same thing, goosebumps spreading across her skin.

In front of them was a wide blue beam that stretched from floor to ceiling, and had names, pictures, and locations of several individuals encircled around it. The President of the United States, the Queen of England, and the Prime Minister of Canada were among a few of the names, along with several other important figureheads from all over the globe. Noelle couldn't believe what she was seeing as she glanced upon each and every other person, only to freeze up when her eyes came across a familiar looking face.

"Oh no..."

Mikey and April were the first to reach Noelle's side as she breathlessly uttered out the words with a hand over her mouth. The words Dimension X" brightly glowed back at the trio next to an older picture of Savannah, whose eyes held the expression of somebody bored but unaware of what would happen to her in the future. It was a driver license picture that Noelle had glimpsed at only once but remembered clearly. Her hand reached hesitantly forward, her pointer finger intent on landing on the picture, but slipping through the transparent screen.

"Your mom isn't here," April gently said with a hand pressed lightly against Noelle's back. "We will have to find another way to get to her."

"Where is Dimension X?" Noelle quietly asked. She felt like collapsing on the floor and crying in frustration. She had really thought that she'd find her mom here, but apparently Savannah had been moved somewhere else. It was almost as if Life didn't want her to ever find her mom.

"It's this weird space place that the Kraang are from and where I get like, super smart in," Mikey attempted to explain.

"We need to get rid of this," Leo declared, his brows lowered angrily as he took in all the Kraang's future victims. "This might be the only record they have, and we can't let this stay. Who knows who they'll go after next."

A blaring alarm resounded throughout the floor, capturing all the teenagers off guard before preparing themselves with their weapons. Even Noelle, who hated fighting and was still not used to it, gripped her weapon and mentally ran through all the the lessons Splinter had taught her in her lessons.

"Oh yeahhh bring it on!" Casey cried out as soon as the first Kraang droid appeared in sight. "Goongala!" The hockey player raised his hockey stick up behind his head before he swung it forward and knocked his opponent off to the side. Several more of the robots cantered down the hallway in mechanic harmony, forcing the teenage team to turn to offense. Noelle and Mikey teamed up to take down a few Kraang, with Mikey using his Nunchucks to wrap around pairs of robotic legs and knock them over while Noelle slammed her Jitte against the brain-looking faces tucked within the stomach units. The disgusting aliens made their whining sounds as they crawled away from their units and back down the hallway where they came from.

"We need to get out of here!" Donnie yelled once the numbers of their enemies had dwindled significantly. "More are probably going to show up!"

Raph jogged over to end of the corridor and peered out the wide window that practically framed the wall. He used the end of his Sais to crack the glass, sending little sharp shards down to the streets below. "Let's get out through here!" he called out over his shoulder as he punctured even more holes in the glass until finally there was only open space. A bitter wind swept through the hall, prompting everybody it touched to shiver.

"Donnie, do you have anything we can use to destroy this place?" Leo asked as he yanked out his glider and pressed it open.

Donnie reached into his belt and pulled out a round gray object with a red button popping out at the top. "I have this; it's powerful enough to do considerable damage to the building and wipe out any traces of the data we found. Unfortunately, somebody is going to have to stay behind by a few moments to detonate it. Whoever does it needs to be fast because it only takes three seconds to activate."

April's eyes widened in disbelief. "Only three seconds? That's it?"

"It's more than enough time," Leo stated as he held his hand out. "Leave it to me. I'll stay behind."

"No way," Raph argued with his arms folded over his chest. "You need to get Karai out of here. Somebody else will do it. You don't need to be the hero all the time."

Karai opened her mouth to protest before she pressed her lips back together and sighed. She hated having to rely on the turtles, but if she went her way and climbed back down then there was no chance of her making it to the ground safely before the bomb went off. She needed one of the gliders, and if any of them were going to go down with her, then she'd rather it be Leo.

"He's right, yo," Casey agreed. "You two get out first."

Leo's shoulders slumped forward in defeat before he nodded and hooked himself up to the glider. He wrapped an arm around Karai's waist and ignored the weird look she gave him before he turned his head to address the others. "Be safe and smart, " he ordered, and then leapt out of the window to glide down. Once he was again, the arguing over who would stay began.

"It should be me," Raph volunteered. "I can take down all those Kraang if they come after me. I'm not afraid of those idiots."

"No way! I can totally do it!" Casey emphatically argued. He and Raph literally butted heads and glared at each other until Donnie coughed and cleared his throat.

"Casey, there's no way you can escape in time with all that heavy stuff you're wearing. You and April take the double glider and follow after Leo."

"What? No fair man!"

"He's right, Jones. We won't be of any use," April voiced. A part of her wished she could be the one to stay and be useful, but she knew Donnie was right. Her and Casey wouldn't be fast enough to escape, and the last thing she wanted to do was be a burden. So, she took the glider Donnie handed over to her, popped it open, and then hooked herself up to it. She exchanged a small smile with her best friend as Casey groaned in protest but followed directions. Once both of them were securely in the device, they took off running and sailed directly through the window. Now, there were only four left to decide.

"I can honestly be the one to activate it. It's my weapon after all," Donnie suggested.

"But dude, I'm the fastest," Mikey suddenly spoke up as he placed his hands contently behind his head and grinned. "Which makes me more awesome."

As the boys argued among themselves over who would stay behind, Noelle walked over to the edge of the floor and peered down at the city below, her hair gently fondled by the winter breeze. She thought of all the trouble she'd caused in being kidnapped, and how during fights she'd always been the one to stand off to the side and be protected. Sure, she contributed a little, but it wasn't anything impressive like the rest of her teammates displayed.

She stared down at the city lights below, remembering how Mikey had brought her up to the top of the building to show her the beauty of the city. He'd been through so much already, what with having to find her and endure being basically called an idiot all his life. Even then, he smiled at her, a beautiful innocent smile just like the one he'd given her when they first met. He had done his best to take care of her and keep her safe, and now she knew without a doubt that she wanted to be the one to protect him.

It was her turn to do the rescuing.

[Buffy the Vampire Slayer-Sacrifice]

"It has to be me," she whispered, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinked repeatedly and lifted her head.

Her voice was just loud enough that Raph heard her. "What did you just say?" he asked in disbelief, causing his two brothers to furrow their brows in confusion over what he was talking about.

Noelle turned around with her chin held up and a look of determination on her face, her eyes directly meeting Mikey's puzzled blue ones. "I'm the one who has to stay."

Mikey's eyes widened while Raph loudly protested behind him.

"No way sister. There's no way you can-"

"Why you?" Donnie curiously interrupted. "What makes you think you can do it?"

"Noelle, no," Mikey breathed out, watching as she stepped forward and faced him directly, a small smile on her face.

"From the moment you guys met me, everybody, especially you Mikey, have done your best to watch out for me and keep me safe. I know I'm not as fast as you, as strong as Raph, as brave as Leo or smart like Donnie, but this whole thing was my fault. I want to be the one to protect you now." She turned her head to Donnie and held out her hand, hoping that her expression was absolute. "Please give me the bomb. I will make it out."

"Donnie, don't do it," Mikey pleaded, unable to believe what he was hearing.

The tall terrapin was silent for a moment until he took a deep breath and placed the weapon in Noelle's small hands. "Do you understand what to do?"

"Yes," she replied.

"No! I can't let you do this! I'm the one who has to keep you safe! That's not fair!" Mikey protested, his head shaking repeatedly. "Please don't do this-"

"Mikey." Noelle used her free hand to grab one of his hands and hold it as she stared up at him with affection. "You told me that one day I would have my moment. Well, this is it. My moment is here. Do you believe in me?"

Mikey swallowed nervously and stared down at the ground before his eyes met hers. "I've always believed in you. I'm just scared to lose you."

Noelle felt courage and and love swell up in her as she studied the face of the boy who had changed her life, and she knew that there was no way she could ever live without him. She pushed aside her fears as she closed her eyes and stepped forward to place a soft kiss on his cheek before she stepped back, her cheeks pink and eyes shining. He stared at her in shock as she squeezed his hand tightly and walked back, his mind completely numb and his mouth wordlessly parting.

"I will see you again," she promised.

Getting a grip on reality, Mikey held out his hands to her. "Noelle, I-"

The alarm blared even louder. Donnie grabbed the glider off of Mikey's back and handed it over to Noelle. "Good luck. Be safe."

"Time to go, little brother." Raph looped his arm around Mikey's while Donnie encircled the other arm. They both ran forward and jumped off, leaving Noelle to stare down at them.

"No! Let me go! Noelle!" Mikey screamed out as he raised his hands up and grabbed at only air. "Noelle! Noelle!"

Noelle quickly turned away with tear-filled eyes, her heart aching as she heard him repeatedly yell her name until it became a faint echo. She wiped away a stray tear that fell down her cheek before she walked back towards the data room, her legs shaking as she heard the sound of mechanical footsteps running down the hallway. Her heart pounded as she attached the bomb to the circular foot of the screen.

She closed her eyes as the Kraang rushed around her, and pressed the button.

[+]

It wasn't until Mikey was on the ground that he turned around and pushed Donnie away from him, catching his older brother completely off-guard. "Yo, why did you let her stay?! What if she doesn't make it?! What if she-"

"Mikey, you need to calm down!" Raph firmly gripped the angry turtle by his shoulder and spun him around so they were face-to-face. "You need to believe that everything will be fine. She wanted to do it."

Mikey stomped a foot angrily, uncaring that he was behaving like a large child. "I don't care! I just got her back and now she's stuck up there!"

"She can do this," Donnie defended. "She always believed in you, so you need to believe in her."

Mikey clenched his fist because he knew his brothers were right, though judging by the shocked expression on April's face, he knew he wasn't alone in feeling uncomfortable with the idea. Still, the both of them remained silent, and they all turned their heads to gaze up at the building, waiting for some sort of sign that things had gone according to plan. The sun was starting to rise, giving off an ember glow that surrounded the Kraang's hideout.

There was a sudden explosion from the floor the teenagers had flown down from, along with a burst of smoke as rubble began collapsing from the upper level. The group below moved backwards as a hefty chunk of wall landed right in front of them. People around the area took off screaming as more concrete crumbled to the ground, unaware of the mutants standing directly off to the side of the building, just staring up and waiting for their friend.

Mikey's heart sunk when the smoke cleared and she still didn't show up. He didn't hear the people yelling as true terror clenched at his heart and his stomach tumbled around until he felt like he would be sick. He felt like the world had just ended, and suddenly he became a wreck. The boy who always had a smile on his face and a positive attitude, collapsed onto his knees, tilted his head back, and howled like a wounded animal as tears streamed down his face. His whole body shook as he heavily sobbed in defeat like a person who had lost everything.

April cried out as she covered her mouth and tears slid down her cheeks, unable to believe that she'd just lost her friend. The others, including Karai and Casey, were dead silent in shock. Leo took a small step forward with his hand lifted up to try and console his little brother, but then he lowered it, knowing that it didn't matter what he said, Mikey would be inconsolable.

[TMNT 2007-Winter's End]

"Noelle!" Mikey screamed, his hands clutched over his chest as he heaved and lay his forehead against the dirt, a fist slamming down into the ground beside him, uncaring of who saw or judged him. His best friend was dead, and nobody could help him. His shoulders shook as he continued to weep, wishing right then that a hole would just swallow him up so he could see her again. He didn't even get to tell her how he felt.

The redhead's eyebrows furrowed together as she took a step forward and listened carefully. "Hey, do you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Raph asked, attempting to keep the quiver out of his voice. It was awful to see his brother in such a state, along with the fact that they had just lost a really good friend who had become like a member of the family. The whole moment just reeked of depression and sadness.

April's eyes widened. "I think I hear Noelle yelling."

"No she's not," Mikey mumbled from his spot. He lifted his head up and gazed back at his friends and family, his eyes puffy and red. "She's never coming back and it's all my fault."

Donnie's face lit up in relief as he looked straight ahead and smiled. "Mikey, look."

The heartbroken turtle nonchalantly turned around to look, his eyes only able to make out clouds of dust coming from the fallen debris. His eyes widened as he heard his name yelled.

"Mikey!"

A wobbling shadow coughed before walking out of the smoke. Mikey cried out in relief when he saw Noelle stumbling forward, her hair messed up, clothes torn and dust on her face, but she was alive, and that was all that mattered. They exchanged glances before the young turtle burst into alleviated laughter and pushed himself up into a run. Noelle set down the broken glider and forced herself to canter towards him, arms spreading open as she reached him. He yanked her into his arms and spun her around as he laughed and she giggled, both so happy to be reunited again. And then, Mikey set her down, rested his forehead against her, and pressed his lips against hers, because that's how the people in his movies and comics let somebody know that they really liked them.

Noelle had never been kissed before, so when his lips met hers she felt like her face was entirely on fire, and he must have as well because he pulled away after only a couple seconds and stared at her with the most adoring blushing face he'd ever had. Noelle smiled lovingly at him, pressed her hands against the side of his face, and shyly joined their lips together once more to show she returned his feelings. They basked in the warmth and softness of each other's lips, Mikey's mouth pulled up into a smile as he kissed her and held her closer to him so that her arms wrapped around his neck.

To say the moment was magical was an understatement. When she was younger, she used to wonder what her first kiss would be like. She'd drawn pictures of couples kissing before, but always felt like the image was lacking because she had no idea what a kiss even felt like. She'd never imagined that her first kiss would be with a mutant turtle, but somehow it just felt right. Her lips tingled from his mouth moving gently against hers, and she felt like she could heart both their hearts pounding from being pressed together.

When she pulled away, her eyes didn't stray away from his face. "I told you I'd be back," she whispered as she affectionately stroked his cheek, unable to believe what had just happened. Somebody hugging her used to make her feel weird, and now she was kissing somebody. There was nobody she'd rather have experienced that with than her best friend, and she knew from the way he grinned at her that he felt the same. He pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear.

"Booya. Kasha."

They erupted into a fit of giggles.

[+]

"Mikey is the first of us to get a girlfriend? Are you serious?!" Casey exclaimed after watching the whole display. He made a gagging sound like he was about to retch. "Isn't there a separate place they could've done that in or something?"

"Oh shutup, Jones," April lectured, her eyes not once leaving her friends. She joyfully beamed, and reached out to grab Donnie's hand; the large turtle turning pink as she did so. "I think it's sweet, right Donnie?"

"I, uh...wow, yeah, it is." Donnie glimpsed at April, his face lighting up when he saw how happy she was, and he wondered if there would ever be a day when he could confess his feelings to her. Until then, he would wait until he gathered enough courage, and just support his little brother.

Raph kept his mouth shut and just grinned. He was honestly really happy for them, though he was also just as surprised as Casey that his gross, annoying, clumsy little brother would be the first to find love. He was just glad it was with somebody as kind and sweet as Noelle.

Sirens in the distance put the group in alert mode, reminding them that they were standing out in the open where everybody could see them. Leo cleared his throat and turned to face their other ally."We need to get out of here. Karai, did you..." his words trailed off as he turned around and saw that Karai was no longer with them.

She watched them from a nearby building and smirked, secretly glad that everything had turned out okay. Now it was time for her to go home and face her father, but at least she could do so knowing that the world was just a little bit safer.