Chapter 47: A Talking To

Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Karai couldn't help but look at their hands as they knelt in the dojo with Donnie in front of them. Splinter hadn't said a word when Raph and Donnie returned home, just point them to the dojo. Donnie had tried to escape to his room but a firm hand on his shell by his older brother stopped him. The two waited in the dojo for their siblings to join them. The rest joined them a half hour later, a little worse for wear but without injury. Now, they all waited for their father to speak.

"Donatello," Splinter finally spoke up. "You knew you were forbidden to leave the lair. Why did you leave?"

Donnie looked at his hands, not wanting to speak up. Even though Splinter knew why his son left, it would help his son get through this if he admitted what had happened. "I….. I saw a video…"

"What did you see?" Splinter asked calmly, trying to keep his son talking.

"I was older, my brothers' age," Donnie continued, his voice soft. "And I was in a lab. There were mutants and a man in armor and I must have done something or not done something and it made him angry and then I was…" Donnie's voice trailed off as horror filled his eyes. "I turned into a monster."

"No, my son," Splinter spoke before the others could speak out against Donnie's words. "I can see where your mind is going. You may have been turned against your will but you are not a monster."

"You saved me, Donnie," Karai spoke up, watching as the young turtle whipped his head around to look at her. "A while ago, I was lost within my own mind, ruled by instincts that I had no control of. You were kidnapped in an attempt to turn me back to normal. But we knew the moment you did, well, everything would just get worse. Somehow, you made something that gave me back my mind. I will be eternally grateful to you."

Donnie blushed before speaking, "Then, if I was able to give you back your mind, why was I thrown into mutagen?"

"We kept it a secret," Karai answered. "It was safer that way. You made it look like you were trying to find a cure. In the end, the man in armor decided he had waited too long and tried to give you some motivation."

"Some motivation," Raph growled under his breath.

"And I was put into the mutagen," Donnie finished, putting the final piece in the puzzle. "But how did I end up like this?"

"That is a long story, my son," Splinter sighed.

"I want to know."

"We managed to rescue you and Karai from the lab," Leo spoke up. "We brought you both here and asked our friends to help find a cure for you. Dr. Rockwell tried as hard as he could but with a second mutation, your body was breaking down and the only thing we could do was use your own retromutagen, turning you back into a regular turtle."

"After a while, Rockwell found a way to get you back to normal," Raph picked up. "Just a bit different than we thought. You had to be eased back to normal."

"You started off as a baby!" Mikey smiled. "You were so cute!"

Raph shook his head, keeping a laugh down, "Then you were a tot and now how you are."

"So, I'm almost back to normal?" Donnie asked.

Splinter nodded. "Almost, my son. Dr. Rockwell will be coming later today to check you over."

"So, this whole thing, is almost over?" Donnie asked, trying to keep the relief out of his voice. All the confusion finally was eased and things were finally falling into place. He didn't have to worry about the sense of wrong he was feeling or the strange memories that popped into his head. It was stuff he already knew but his young body was protecting him from. Once he was back to his normal age, everything would be fine. He had to trust his family and those helping him.

"Yes, my son. It is almost over," Splinter smiled, reaching over to give his son a hug.

Donatello was grounded for leaving the safety of the lair. He had worried everyone greatly but Splinter had understood in his confusion, he needed to get away. But because of his actions, his brothers kept a constant watch on him.

"Come on, Donnie. Stop pouting," Raph spoke up, drawing Donnie from his musings on the couch.

Donnie couldn't help the roll of his eyes as he responded. "I'm not pouting. I'm just worried that my body won't be ready for the final antidote."

Raph sighed, "Stop worrying about something you can't control. Rockwell will be here soon to test your blood and if your body is ready, then cool. If not, you'll have to wait a little bit. It's not like your body will never be ready."

"Yeah, you're right," Donnie sighed in defeat. "I just….. want to be normal again."

Raph reached over and pulled Donnie in a quick hug. "Our lives are never normal, little brother. But, don't worry. This will all be over soon."

"You are very optimistic, Raphael." Raph and Donnie jumped at the voice and looked over to the entrance. Rockwell walked calmly over, a bag in his hand while Leo, Mikey, and the other Mutanimals walked behind him. "Are you ready, Donatello?"

Donnie looked over at Raph, who gave him a smile and squeezed his shoulders. "Ready as I'll ever be." Rockwell motioned for Donatello to follow him into his own lab. Donnie rose from the couch and followed the monkey, ignoring the loud rambling of Mikey.

"So, how are you feeling, Donatello?" Rockwell asked as he shut the door.

Donnie sighed. "Well, I've been having flashes of memories."

Rockwell, stopped in his tracks as he was preparing the needle. "Really? I thought I had been able to block them successfully."

"I guess it's because I'm getting closer to my original age," Donnie tried to explain.

Rockwell nodded. "That does explain it. Can I have your arm, please?" Donnie nodded and gave the doctor his arm. Rockwell drew the blood and walked back over to the equipment.

"How long will it take to find out if my body is settled?" Donnie asked, walking over to watch the doctor work.

Rockwell couldn't help the smile at the little turtle. "It shouldn't be too long, Donatello. But if you want my opinion, I think your body has settled."

"Really?" Donnie asked hopefully.

Rockwell nodded, as the machine beeped. Rockwell looked down at the paper and smiled. "Yes. You are ready."

"Can we do this now?" Donnie asked.

"To the dojo," Rockwell answered, ushering the young turtle out of the lab and towards the dojo. The two walked over and opened the door, ignoring the looks from the others in the room.

"Doctor Rockwell, Donatello, what is wrong?" Splinter asked as the two walked into the room.

"Donatello is ready," Rockwell smiled watching Splinter's eyes light up.

"Shall we do this now?" Splinter asked.

"If Donatello is ready?"

"I'm ready!" Donnie nearly shouted, sitting down on the mats.

Rockwell nodded and reached into his bag, pulling out a black case. He opened it, pulling out a vial of purple liquid and a needle. He filled it up and held Donnie's arm carefully, looking into the trusting eyes of the young turtle. This would finally be over.

"What do you think those two are up to in there?" Mikey asked, looking over at the dojo.

"They're probably going over something with Donnie," Leo answered. "His body is probably not ready for the next antidote and they're talking about what they need to do."

"You don't think he's ready?" Raph asked.

"Leo's just trying not to get his hopes up," Karai said, sitting down on the couch.

"My sons, my daughter," Splinter spoke as he opened the door, stepping into the room. He looked happier, much happier since the whole trail had started.

"What is it, Sensei?" Leo asked, stepping forward followed by Raph, Mikey, and Karai.

"I thought you might want to say hi."

"What are you talking about…..?" Raph asked as his voice trailed off as the door opened fuller.

Standing in the doorway was Donatello, looking just the same as the day he was kidnapped. His purple bandanna was tied around his eyes, which shone brighter than ever in the past days. Silence hung for a second before Mikey screamed in joy, launching himself at his older brother.

"DONNIE!"

"Don!"

"I can't believe it!"

Leo and Raph followed close behind with Karai trailing along. Soon, there was a turtle pile as everyone tried to get ahold of Donnie, eager to touch him and make sure he was really there.

"You're here," Karai whispered, reaching over to take Donnie's hand.

Donnie simply smiled and said, "Yes. It's finally over.

Author's Note: After so long and Donnie is finally back to normal! And this story is finally coming to a close. Stay tuned because there will be an epilogue coming soon. Special thanks to Pilyartquitect, Fever To Write, Juanita27, Rhodesincolumbus, HyunaLeo96, tmntlover2013, and I Love Ian Hecox for the reviews.