They managed to push the party wagon back upright onto its tires and thankfully it started when Raphael turned the key, although he was already making a mental list of the things that would need to be repaired or replaced. He quickly pressed down on the gas to get them all out of there.
Karai wasn't surprised when they entered the sewers through a secret tunnel, but she was surprised as Donatello began talking and explaining some of what led to their change in living quarters to her.
Leo sat in the front passenger seat, his head dropped back against the headrest as he listened to Donnie describe his de-radiation tool to Karai and what had transpired for him personally from there, including his PhD, his patent, his deal with the government, the family's new building and Hamato Engineering.
Leo smiled as he listened and he reached over to rest a hand on Raph's broad shoulder as thinking about the creation of the de-radiation tool reminded him of his and Raph's reconciliation and all the moments between them that followed.
Raphael grinned back at him as he pulled the van into their underground parking lot.
It was dawn of the next day but after three straight days of monster hunting, they were all exhausted and Master Splinter offered Karai his spare bedroom to rest. She gladly accepted and stared as part of the sewer wall slid to the side and an elevator appeared for them. She watched as Leo, Raph, Casey and Mikey got off on the third floor and they said quick goodnights before the doors slid shut again.
She followed Donnie and Master Splinter off the elevator on the fourth floor and said another quick goodnight to Donnie at his apartment door before following her father into his own apartment. It was clean and bright as the rising sun shone through the windows. She glanced around at the new furniture and focused in on two framed photos sitting on a table next to his recliner. She recognized them both. One was a very old family photo of her as an infant held between her two parents. Michelangelo had taken the second photo just a few days before she had left. It captured her and Master Splinter playing chess together, both laughing at her made-up names for the pieces.
Her chest felt tight and despite her exhaustion, she turned to her father and immediately said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I ran away. I just couldn't – I didn't know how to –," she shook her head and stopped talking when she felt tears well up in her eyes. She angrily brushed them away with her hand. She wasn't a crier.
But apparently she was a crier. Because in the next moment, she felt her father's arms wrap around her and she was sobbing and hiccupping and smearing tears into his fur. She didn't even notice when he shifted them so that they could sit together on the couch.
"I'm sorry," she finally repeated, wiping her face. She met her father's eyes and saw more kindness than she certainly felt like she deserved.
"The challenges you've faced on your path so far have been numerous."
"You've had challenges as well. And so have the turtles. I'm not unique in facing challenges," she argued back, unwilling to be let off the hook that easily.
"True," Master Splinter said. "But do you know how difficult it is to be raised by a," he paused for a moment as he tried to choose his next words, "single-minded, evil villain and still end up the person you were always meant to be?"
"I ran away," Karai said.
"No," Master Splinter said, shaking his head. "You followed the path you were supposed to take. We missed you, but what matters is that you're sitting here right now and I can see that you're safe."
"You're not angry with me? Leonardo was very angry with me."
Master Splinter chuckled. 'I'm sure he was. He carries the emotional weight of this family on his own shoulders."
"Raphael said something similar."
"Yes, we're all thankful to Raphael for keeping Leonardo in check so he doesn't drive us all crazy with his worrying," Master Splinter said, still chuckling. "And no, I am not angry with you."
Karai nodded and then said,"Can I ask you a favor, then?" She waited till she received a nod from him. "Will you call me Miwa?"
She watched him smile, swallow hard and then nod his head again. "Of course, Miwa."
Donnie silently entered his apartment, pushed his gear off as he walked and crept into bed with Sadie. He wrapped his arm around her middle and pulled her closer to him.
"About time," he heard her murmur back to him. "Everyone ok?"
"Yes," he whispered back, feeling his heavy eyelids close. "And I had a great idea for something wedding-related while we were out."
"You're such a multitasker," she teased, turning to face him so she could wrap her arms around his neck as she watched him fall asleep. She reached behind his head, untied his purple bandana and gently lifted it from his sleeping face.
Michelangelo said a cheery goodnight to the others in the third floor hallway and skipped into his apartment, making sure the door shut silently behind him. He headed into the kitchen and quietly pulled a pan out for eggs and got to work making omelets for Woody.
A few minutes later he heard a groggy-voiced Woody behind him. "What do you think you're doing?"
He turned to his sleepy human and grinned when he saw Woody's blonde curls sticking up at odd angles. Mikey wished he could wake up with cool bedhead hair like Woody.
"I'm making you breakfast, dude," Mikey said.
Woody came up beside him, turned the burner off on the stove and, ignoring Mikey's protests, grabbed his hand to drag him back to their bedroom.
"Don't even act like you're not completely exhausted after not sleeping for two days," Woody said. He turned and pulled Mikey closer to kiss him. "And if you're too wired to go to sleep right now, I have an idea that I think will wear you down."
Mikey forgot about the eggs left behind in the kitchen and grinned when he recognized the look in Woody's eyes.
Raph and Leo followed Casey into his apartment where they found April asleep on the couch, her pregnant belly prominent between the two foxes curled around it.
The three of them stood silently for a moment, thankful to be home and thankful to have their loved ones safe and sound as well. Leo and Raph moved forward quietly and each picked up a sleeping fox.
Machi remained asleep in Raph's arms but Akito roused immediately and upon seeing Leo, wrapped his arms tightly around Leo's neck while whispering, "You're back." Leo ignored the slight pain the embrace caused his bruised neck and instead just hugged his son in return. He regretted the worry the past few days had caused both kids. Even with Akito's ninjitsu training and his experience in saving Leo in the other dimension, Leo planned to avoid the discussion he would have to one day with his kids regarding "real bad guys" for as long as possible.
They both nodded a silent thanks to April who sat awake now and stretching on the couch before they turned and left.
Casey pulled his gear off and let it drop in the middle of their living room floor before plopping down on the couch next to April.
"I think I'm gettin old, babe," he said, letting his head drop to the back of the couch. He hurt all over and the party wagon crash hadn't helped his already sore body.
"You're not getting old. And you should probably start getting used to sleepless nights," April said, laughing in return.
He reached over and rested a hand on top of her belly. Almost immediately he felt a kick strong enough to make him jerk his hand back up.
April laughed again. "I tried to balance a bowl of cereal there yesterday and got the same reaction. Kid won't let me rest anything on the belly."
Casey laughed. "I'm blamin the stubbornness on you, Red."
Certain that Machi would wake up the second he tried to put her to bed in her own room, Raphael pushed on Leo's shoulder and directed him into their bedroom where they laid down and quietly situated the kids around them. Akito didn't seem to mind at all that this was normally the time when he got up in the morning and instead just settled between his two parents and closed his eyes as they all fell asleep. He hadn't been sleeping well over the last few days anyway.
It was nearly two hours later when Machi finally woke up. Raph had situated her on his plastron and, at her first movements, he quietly got up and slipped out of the room, with Akito following silently behind. Raph had had plenty of sleep thanks to his tranq sedation and left Leo to catch up on his own sleep.
Leo was disappointed when he woke up alone a few hours later but couldn't complain when he found Raphael quietly reading to the kids in the living room. He slid into the couch next to Raphael, moving Machi to his own lap and rested his head over on Raph's shoulder.
They remained there until Raph's voice went hoarse from reading and they ran out of books. Leo knew Machi loved story time but even he was surprised at how long she was willing to just sit and cuddle with them.
"I'm sorry we've been gone," he said down to the kids, not sure if Machi understood but sure that Akito knew what he meant. Akito nodded and smiled up at him and Raph and Machi seemed to press herself further against his plastron.
Their stomachs were beginning to growl when they received a text from Woody inviting the entire clan to their apartment for a Chinese take-out dinner. They sent the kids to carry the books back to their bedrooms and exchanged a glance as they stood and stretched.
"Ready to introduce them to Aunt Karai?" Raphael asked.
Leo sighed. "I don't know. They're already a little freaked out. Do you think the fact that half her face is currently a giant purple bruise will make this worse?"
Raph considered and then shook his head. "Its not like they know what she normally looks like."
Leo huffed out a laugh. "Alright," he said.
"Come here," Raph said, pulling Leo towards him and taking advantage of the quiet moment they had alone together. "You know, just because I scared you didn't mean you had to scare me back."
"I'll mention it to the next stone creature who tries to strangle me," Leo murmured, pressing his face into Raph's emerald neck as he felt Raph's arm tighten around him.
"Different creature. Same old story from you, Fearless."
Leo only nodded as the kids rejoined them. Raphael let go of him and picked up Machi as they headed out of their apartment and down the hall to Woody and Mikey's place.
Leo smiled as he saw his family gathered around. They bypassed Sadie and April laughing over a bridal magazine in the living room and headed into the kitchen where Karai, Master Splinter and Casey sat on stools at the island already eating directly out of take-out boxes as Donnie stood talking to Mikey and Woody.
Without turning from their conversation, Woody grabbed a take-out box from the island and handed it directly to Leo, knowing how cranky he got if he didn't get his share of kung pao shrimp.
Raph forgot for a moment that they had introductions to make and instead rolled his eyes at Leo's preferential treatment before smiling playfully at Leo.
Miwa had stopped chewing and just stared the moment Raph and Leo had walked into the kitchen with two little foxes.
Leo leaned down and scooped Akito up so he could see and be seen easily. "Um, Karai -,"
"Actually, she has asked that we call her Miwa," Master Splinter interjected.
Leo looked to Karai and watched her nod. "Ok. Miwa, I would like to introduce you to my and Raph's son and daughter. This is Akito and that's Machi. And this is your Aunt Miwa," he said to Akito.
Akito peered at her curiously, wondering what on earth had happened to her face since it looked even worse than his dad's neck. But he knew how to be polite so he said a quiet hello and watched as her one open eye widened.
"Is he a -,"
"No," Raph said, cutting her off before she could ask if the kids were mutants. "It's a long story but they're originally from a different dimension."
Miwa sent Raph an apologetic smile and then looked to Akito again. "Are you hungry? Do you want to share my cashew chicken with me?"
Akito nodded quickly and jumped down from Leo's arms so he could scamper up onto the stool next to his new aunt as she scooped some of the food onto a plate for him.
"I've eaten," Master Splinter said, rising from his stool and reaching for Machi. "Let me take the little sweetheart so you two can eat. I'll feed her."
Leo sat down in his father's empty stool and began digging into his food with chopsticks, content to listen to his brothers joke, his father expertly talk Machi into eating and his long-lost sister sit and talk to his son as if they were already old friends.
He smiled as he felt Raph tug quickly on one of his bandana tails as he sat down next to Leo and dug into his own food as well.
