A/N Actually, I'm not going to say anything at all. I think I'll let this chapter speak for itself.

It had been a month since Leo had disappeared through the dimensional portal with his original brothers, blood pouring from the life-threatening wound inflicted by the crazed Baxter Stockman, who had had yet another body part removed by the vengeful Saki for the failure of his dimensional window projector. Well, to be more precise, it had been exactly 28 days, 15 hours, and 7 minutes, and Raph and his brothers had been aware of each and every one of those minutes as they had slowly crawled by. Even though the brothers knew Leo's life was in qualified hands, it didn't stop the agony of losing him yet again, and this time the pain was, if anything, even sharper than when their Leo had disappeared years before.

After the window had closed, Raph had only been able to lay there on the floor, sobbing. If not for Donny's insistence, he probably would have stayed there indefinitely, or until the boys in blue found him and dragged him away to some science lab for dissection. Moving mechanically, Raph had allowed Donny to pull him off the floor. It was only as he went to locate his missing sai, the one he had thrown at Leo's assailant, that the brothers had discovered that the would-be murderer was no other than Stockman himself. Stockman, however, would prove not to be a further threat, for Raph's aim and been true, hitting the mad genius in the throat, thus stopping him for good. Joining Mikey, who was carrying Leo's beloved and now abandoned katanas, the three brothers had desolately made their home.

Since then things had been very quiet for the brothers. With Saki dead, the Foot had fallen apart, and the Purple Dragons were no more a nuisance than any other street gang in the city. Without anything outward to focus on, it was a miracle the little family had not fallen apart. Fortuitously, the lessons in family togetherness they had learned while helping Leo recover had continued to stick with them. Each brother in turn had to be the strong one, supporting and caring for the others when it seemed their own strength was used up. But the three turtles knew it couldn't last; they weren't living, only surviving, and soon the will to do even that much would cease to sustain them. Even now, Donny spent very little time in his lab, his will to create and invent completely evaporated by his grief. Mikey hardly ever smiled, only making the attempt when it became apparent one of his brothers needed cheering. And Raph, well Raph was hit the hardest, and it was only for his brothers' sake that he continued to make the effort to remain engaged in life.

"We shouldn't have sent him back with them," Raph groused to his brothers, and not for the first time. The brothers were sitting around the kitchen table, lunch spread out in front of them, though no one was actually eating. "He trusted us to watch his back, and we betrayed him."

"What could we have done," Donny asked sadly, unwilling and unable to counter his brother's argument; but the truth had to be faced. "If he had stayed here, we would have buried him within days. We couldn't save him; they could."

"Could they really," Raph challenged. "Sure, Donatello probably kept him from dying, but we threw him back into the lion's den. You saw him with them. Leo was terrified of those bastards, so what kind of life will he have with them?" By this time, Raph was on the verge of tears.

"Raph…"Donny, started, but tears clogged his throat as well.

"I just miss him," Raph choked out, tears beginning to run unheeded down his face. "I would give anything and everything just to have him back."

Suddenly, Raph found himself holding tightly to both of his younger brothers, teas running down all their faces. Mikey was sobbing too hard to say anything, but Donny managed to whisper through his anguish, "Me, too. No matter the cost, getting Leo back would be worth it."

"Would it now?" A voice behind the brothers asked. Springing apart, and trying to inconspicuously wipe their eyes, the brothers turned to face the intruder. She…it…the glowy octopus-like figure was stand/floating in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. It didn't take long for Donny to realize who the unusual individual before was.

"You're her; the Bridger. You're the one who sent Leo here from his old dimension," he exclaimed.

The figure gave the impression of bowing her head, though there was no real "head" to bow. "Indeed. Your brother's pain at his family's disloyalty, and your pain at your older brother's loss, allowed me to bridge the gap between your dimensions and bring him here. I must admit, that was perhaps the finest fit I have ever seen between members of two different realities. But now I once more sense an imbalance in this world, and your hearts are once again burdened by loss and need."

Donny gave the Bridger a quick explanation of what had happened with Leo, and why he was no longer with them.

"That would explain it, then," the Bridger said. "Your brother traverses the astral plain, which is a small portion of my reality, seeking a way to return here to his chosen family. However, in doing so he risks his survival in the material world, and his original family is unable to reach him in order to bring him back."

"Please, there must be something you can do to help him," Mikey suddenly exclaimed, his eyes pleading as he looked at the glowing figure in front of him.

"Unfortunately, the astral plain is the one place where I am forbidden to interfere, for too much damage could be done by one of my strength and abilities," the Bridger told him sadly. "However, there is another option, but it would require a great sacrifice on your part."

"Anything," Raph whispered, fear for his brother nearly suffocating him.

"Your brother is seeking you three. Regrettably, while you remain in this dimension, he cannot reach you, and his path back grows increasingly unstable. What I propose is that the three of you leave this place behind, and travel to your brother's reality. Before you choose this option, though, I must warn you. If you leave here, it will permanent. You will have to make new lives for yourselves in your brother's world."

Raph didn't have to deliberate with his brothers before he said, "We'll do it."

"Are you certain," the Bridger asked. "With your enemy dead, this world is a safe one. You would live here in peace and safety."

"No, we would live here incomplete, because our last fourth would be missing," Raph corrected. "If we could have a few moments to collect a few personal items, we'll be ready to go shortly."

"Very well. Collect what you feel you will need in your new life," the Bridger conceded. "When you are ready, I will take you to your new home."

TMNTTMNT

Fifteen minutes later, the three turtles were reassembled in the living room. Each one had a large duffle bag filled with the personal items they wished to take with them as they began their new life. For Mikey, that included several favorite comic books, videos, and a small stuffed bear he'd had since he was a hatchling. Donny had forced himself to choose only a handful of incomplete inventions to bring, along with his favorite set of tools. Raph had included several favorite CD's, a number of favorite books, and a family portrait of his family, taken back before their original Leo disappeared and their sensei died. Most notable, however, were the katanas strapped to his back; the very katanas Leo had unwittingly left behind when he was sent back through the portal with his former brothers.

Once everyone was gathered, Raph looked to the Bridger. "All right," he told her. "We're ready."

"Very well." The Bridger gave a wave of her hand, and around the turtle the room seemed to waver for a moment before settling back into place. When the world was steady once more, the turtles were alone.

"Did it work," Mikey asked, looking around a room that looked very much like the one they had already been standing in.

"Oh, yeah, I'd say it worked," Donny said, his voice sounding a little funny.

"How do you know," Raph asked, turning to look at his brother.

"Oh, only because he wasn't present when we left," Donny said, pointing toward the door of the infirmary. The "he" Donny was speaking of was a very startled Master Splinter, who looked just as surprised to see the three new turtles standing the middle of his home as they were to see him.

"All right, I'm gonna say it because someone has to," Mikey said. "Guys, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."