A/N: And the grand finale! It's sure been a long ride!


Epilogue

Kimberly Davis hesitated at the door before her. The old brickwork held her attention as nerves kept her feet flat on the ground. The Second Time Around looked the part, a quaint little antique shop nestled between two properties long since fallen victim to the city's plight. How it managed to stay clean was a mystery.

The high-pitched barking of her smaller dog jolted her. Boulevard's small front paw scratched at the door, his tail wagging furiously. Kimberly couldn't help but smile down at him as she tugged on his leash. "Bully, heel. Juniper's behaving. Why can't you follow her example?"

A bell chimed as the door parted open. Kimberly glanced up at April's smiling face.

"Kimberly, right?"

"Just Kimi, please." She said, softly.

"These are your dogs?"

"Yeah, Boulevard and Juniper." Kimberly took a steadying breath. "Mikey said I could bring them. Is that alright? I missed my babies."

"It's fine." She leaned down to give Boulevard a quick pet. "Now hurry and get out of the rain. You'll catch your death out there." She moved to let Kimberly in before closing the door behind her. "We're upstairs. Let me take your coat."

The younger redhead shrugged off her pick raincoat before unhooking the dogs' leashes. Before Boulevard could dart away, she picked up the little rascal. As for Juniper, she knew she would stick to her heel like glue. "You own this shop?"

"Yes, I do. It pays the bills." April smiled. "It's right this way."

Kimberly followed her to the back stairs, her curious gaze taking everything in. She gave a click of warning to her silent companion before taking the first step. "Juniper's blind." She explained before April could ask.

"So you took in two special needs dogs?"

"They needed me." She shrugged. "I got her after her family's house burned down. She's a survivor. As for Bully, the silly pup ran in front of a car. The vet had to amputate his leg from the injuries."

"That's horrible. Poor babies." Her voice carried the frown as she stopped at the door. "This is it." She gave the door a few taps before opening it. "Want me to get you anything? The boys demanded egg nog, so there's that."

"That sounds delicious." Kimberly smiled. The door clicked shut behind her seconds before she was greeted by a mass of blue-green and yellow.

"Syfy! We finally get to meet in person! You haven't been online recently. Probably 'cuz you were recovering and all that, right? It's cool. I only miss your skills a little bit."

"Mikey, give her some space." Donatello nudged him aside. "Sorry about him."

"No, no, it's fine." Kimberly took another deep breath. "He gets like that online too. I'm used to it." She winced as Boulevard deemed that moment to greet her with wet doggy kisses. "Is there a safe place for him? He'll be fine as long as he's away from anything breakable. He gets crazy sometimes."

"I'm used to things breaking in my home. You can let him roam." April said over her shoulder. "I've already put up my breakables because of these guys. They tend to forget the 'no ninjaing in my house' rule."

"That's a rule?" Michelangelo asked.

"Case in point."

Kimberly set Boulevard on the ground and, on her way up, she caught the intense gaze from one of the brothers she had yet to meet. The look unsteadied her with it shaded in his blue mask. She visibly gulped, alerting her companions to the stare down.

"Hey, Leo!" Michelangelo darted over, clearing the couch with a one-handed flip to get behind his brother. He threw his arms around Leonardo's shoulders to a squawk of protest. "You promised to play nice, so say hi."

"Get off!" Leonardo squirmed in his brother's grasp.

"Smile, at least!" He made to pull at his brother's beak only for Leonardo to flip him onto the floor at his feet.

"You forced my hand, little brother." Leonardo gave the heap of turtle a stern look.

Michelangelo laughed. "Got you to smile!"

"Oh?" He whipped off the throw blanket and draped it over his brother. "I think you need to rethink that false belief. I am vengeance. I do not smile."

"Your Nobody voice sucks ass." Another voice spoke up as the last turtle entered the room: Raphael. He moved slow, using anything he passed as support.

Donatello appeared at his side before Kimberly could blink. He didn't offer help; instead merely walking beside him with a hand on his brother's shell.

"Yours isn't any better." Leonardo turned towards him, his expression changing to reflect sympathy. "Hurry and sit down before you fall down."

"I ain't gonna fall." His gaze found Kimberly, but only for a second. He quickly changed direction; heading to the fall corner of the room and grabbed a chair as he passed it. She caught him swatting Donatello away before Michelangelo appeared at her side.

"Come on! There's food in the kitchen!" He dragged her off by her arm before she could object.

As soon as the smell hit her, she realized just how hungry she was. A mostly picked-off casserole caught her attention. It resembled some kind of white, creamy sauce with egg noodles and bacon bits. It definitely looked delicious.

"I guess we didn't leave much, but you can have what's left!" Michelangelo said. "I'll make you a plate."

April handed her the drink she asked for as she noticed the other occupants in the room. "Splinter."

The aging rat looked up from his conversation with Casey. "Kimberly-san. You look well."

Kimberly shrugged, her hand twisting the bottom of her fantasy-themed t-shirt. "You, too. That's good." She sighed as she cast her eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more. That little girl…"

"Nonsense. You did enough."

"We might neva' found him wit'out yer help, so yeah." Casey spoke up.

"I guess so…"

"Hey! Cheer up!" Michelangelo handed her the plate. "You're about to partake in a masterpiece of exquisite cuisine."

She snorted. "I'll make my own judgement, thank you." She grinned. "But you might be right. It smells divine!"


Raphael only barely loosened up at the redhead's departure. He itched at the restricting bandages wrapped around him, his thoughts reverting to Bishop. His other fist clenched against his leg. He still owed that so-called federal agent a punch to the face; a fact he would not forget. That wasn't even the half of it. His hand felt for the split in his plastron. Another scar to add to the arsenal, only this one left him furious. Bishop had to pay.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Raphael glared up at Leonardo's voice with a scowl. "I'm just peachy."

"If you need anything…"

"I'll get it myself."

Leonardo sighed. "Are you mad at me or something?"

Raphael gave him a long, heated stare, before turning to the nearby window. The view didn't offer much. The night veiled the brickwork of the opposing building. It didn't help his mood in the least.

"You've barely said a word to me since you woke up. I tried, Raph. I did everything I could."

"There ya go again. Always actin' all dramatic and thinkin' yer tha center of the goddamn universe."

"Well if it's not that, then why won't you let me help you?"

"'Cuz I don't need it." He stood, abruptly, feeling the tug of the braces holding him together. The pain was nothing to him. At least, that's what he told himself. His fists clenched at his sides as he strode towards the window. Leonardo's warning didn't even give him pause. "I ain't goin' far. Just up top. I need air."

Once past the window, he slowed his pace on the fire escape's stairs. His hands grasped the railing with a death grip on each step. The climb was painful, but he didn't care. He was determined to make it to the top.

As soon as he reached the end, he heaved his body over the lip of the roof, feeling the same nagging pull of his wound. He couldn't escape from it; always there, ready to remind him just how close he was to oblivion. As he stumbled over to the roadside edge, he saw it again: Bishop's saw tearing him in two. Whether it was a memory or merely a nightmare – it didn't matter which – the impact still caught in his chest. He shivered, blaming the cool rain washing over his bare skin.

"Excuse me? Um…Raphael?"

He didn't know how much time passed before the quiet voice broke through his thoughts. He cursed his distraction and whirled to face the red-haired stranger from earlier. She looked small in her raincoat and a familiar duffel hung over her shoulder.

"Whatchu want?"

"Well, you see…" She took a visible breath before continuing in a rush. "I heard you got hurt really bad. I thought I could help. If that's okay… I've had training in veterinary medicine so I know what I'm doing. …You know, you really shouldn't stay up here too long anyway. It's too cold and this rain doesn't help. But I'm sure you know that. Maybe I should…" Her voice slowed. "You're bleeding."

Raphael glanced down at his chest before turning away. She wasn't wrong. Red seeped through his bandages; a sign he had moved too much.

"I can help," She said. "I know how to fix that."

"I don't need yer help."

"Then I should at least tell your brothers. You can't leave it like that." Her voice gained assertion.

He thought about Leonardo's inevitable response and groaned. "Get ova' here." He didn't look at her as her boots sloshed over to him. She sat down beside him, her legs curling under her.

"I brought supplies just in case." She pulled the duffel on her lap and looked at him. Raphael could feel those eyes burning into him.

"Stop that." He glared at her, catching the brief flash of hurt in her green eyes before she turned away. "I'm only lettin' ya do this 'cuz I don't wanna hear it from Leo. I don't know you and we ain't friends."

The corner of her lips turned up in a smile. "Mikey warned me you were grumpy." She opened the bag and pulled out a pair of scissors. "Now hold still."

Her touch was gentle as she cut away his old bandages. He stiffened at the cool edge of the tool against his skin and pointedly turned away.

"I'm sorry, by the way." The frown in her voice caught his attention. "I should have said something sooner. Then your father would be home, safe and sound, before that cruel mad could do this to you."

"You don't even know me. I don't need your pity."

Kimberly paused, catching his gaze with a furrowed one of her own. "That's not the point, is it? I don't have to know you. I knew Splinter and Mikey. Things could have gone so differently."

"Turtle luck. It's just how it is. Shit happens."

"That's a bit pessimistic."

"No, it's realistic."

"Well, whatever it is, I think it's sad." She returned to fixing the dislodged brackets while a stray strand of hair plastered to her face tried hard to slip into her eye. "There's no hope in it. You need hope. Splinter and I… We could've died. You could've died. Is that 'turtle luck', too?"

"Splinter ain't dyin' that easy." Raphael snapped.

Kimberly only snickered at that.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Her grin irritated him. "I just get it, now." She rummaged through the duffel again.

"Get what?"

"Don't worry about it." She waved him off as her other hand pulled out new bandages. "You're not so bad after all."

"I ain't changin' my mind about you."

"Even though I'm fixing you up?"

He huffed. "There's still time." He took an end to help wrap his resealed injury.

"I see you're going to be a stubborn one." She smirked. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll come around eventually."

"Whatever." He grunted.

Kimberly secured the end with an all too happy grin on her face. "Done!" She stood with a flourish, sending rain sprinkling off her coat. "So, you coming back down or what? They're talking about playing a movie."

Raphael turned back to the city below. "Not yet. If Leo asks, tell 'im I'll come down when I'm good 'n' ready."

"Don't be too long, okay? Or those bandages will get too wet." Her footsteps retreated, leaving him to his thoughts; ones that weren't just about Bishop anymore.


A metallic door slid open to a room full of electronic beeps and whirls. Flashes of lights cast the equipment in a colorful glow. The cacophony barely competed against the muttered speech now added to its atmosphere. Agent John Bishop wasn't happy. His pristine suit and tie hid the signs of the encounter with Splinter. His missing glasses allowed the seething expression to shine through on his face. In all his years, he had never lost so irrefutable. Only one thing made it all worth it.

He stopped by the far console and removed a tiny vial from his breast pocket, giving its contents a heated look. He could still vividly recall the ferocity unlike any he'd ever seen. The usually controlled warrior turned beast. All he could do was run. It was disgraceful.

Without another thought, he stashed the vial in a hidden compartment with his other research. This time, he would never lose it all again. He had a foolproof plan. He was almost ready to put away his anger when every monitor in the room flipped to one image.

Bishop's head jerked up, glaring at the large, shadowed chair before him. A harsh red glow framed the image without illuminating anything important. The only sign the chair was occupied was a glittering glass in the figure's hand.

"Agent Bishop." A cultured male voice spoke, his voice coming out of every speaker in the room. "I've heard much about you."

"Who are you?"

"We have a mutual friend. He informs me you have some missing information I happen to be looking to get my hands on." Each word was slow and deliberate.

"You don't have authorization to broadcast on this system."

"Let's not fret on technicalities. I merely wish to speak to speak with you." He lifted his arm, allowing the amber liquid to swirl inside his cup. His red coat sleeve slid down his light-skinned wrist as he brought it into the shadows. "I won't keep you long. I do have more important business to attend to. I am a very busy man."

"What do you want?"

"That is the right question. I will counter it with one of my own: why does a government facility have such poor firewalls?"

"What kind of question is that?" Bishop hissed through his teeth.

"That question should be directed to Coatyl. That's the name of the hacker currently wreaking havoc in your database. I do have to thank you for supplying me with all the information I need to proceed. It's been a pleasure. You do keep such detailed files on every known – or unknown – alien race in the universe."

Before Bishop could retort, the monitors' display changed to crash reports. He quickly moved to try to get the feed back, only to step away as the equipment fizzled and sparked. It was his only warning before an orchestra of explosions deafened the room. It was a war zone as he fought to save what he could. All the while, he reflected on Coatyl's betrayal; a man he knew as Luis Jackson. Another proof that good help was hard to come by.


A/N: I'm starting to like writing Raph and Kimi together. Which is a good thing when the next fic in the series comes out. Keep an eye out for the sequel, Going the Distance.