A/N: Thank you all so much for the nice reviews so far. Things are going to pick up from here. Please enjoy!


Leo woke to the warmth of the sun on his shell and the cool earth beneath him. He wondered briefly if this was how nature intended for them to wake each day. Slowly he sat up and looked around. To his left Raph and Mikey slept in the green grass. To his right Donnie also slept. It was a rare and unusual sight to see his brother sleeping without his mate. But exhaustion had obviously taken over. It was very likely that Sarah had not slept at all though.

He turned his gaze to the blackened earth not far away. They had continued to feed the fire late into the night to ensure their father's body was completely consumed. They had spent the night reminiscing about Splinter. There had been tears as well as laughter and in the end none had had the desire to leave the fire or each other.

Beside him Donnie stirred, pushing himself off the ground and into a seated position. Leo frowned. His brother didn't look like he'd slept well. There were dark rings around his unmasked eyes. He wondered if he looked like that too. "Good morning."

Donnie yawned. "Good morning."

Leo got to his feet as Mikey and Raph began to stir as well. He walked to the pile of ash. You could clearly see the outline of where his body had been. He sighed. It was over. All that remained now was to take him home.

They all looked up as a pair of small feet came running from the farmhouse. Mira pounced on her father, making him fall over. He couldn't help the small smile. "Good Morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?"

Mira nodded. "And so did the bunny. He's all well now."

Donnie lifted an eye ridge. "Bunny?"

"I found him yesterday. He was hurt, but Mommy made him better."

Donnie glanced towards the house. "And where is your mother?" He knew his mate was not nearby.

"She went to town with Aunt Cat. Aunt April said to come get you for breakfast."

Raph frowned. Since the incident with Kassic, he'd become rather possessive of Cat. He stayed close to her even during the daytime now. He understood there were still some things she had to do on her own, but he didn't like her taking off without him knowing anymore. So there had become a sort of unspoken agreement between him and Donnie that one of them would accompany the girls when they went out.

They all rose and made their way back to the farmhouse where April had made some breakfast. The meal was still somewhat quiet though there was more talk than there had been the day before. It was late morning when April's old van pulled down the long drive to the farm. Donnie rose from his place on the porch to take the few steps down into the yard. The others stepped outside when they heard the van come to a stop.

Relief washed over both Donnie and Raph as the two girls climbed from the van. Sarah carried a large paper bag. She gave her spouse a warm smile as she stopped in front of them. She met Leo's eyes. "I'm sorry. It's the best we could do on short notice." She handed him the bag and he set it down to remove its contents. He pulled out an object wrapped in tissue paper. "He deserves better."

Slowly he unwrapped the object and stared at it in amazement. It was an urn. Its metallic surface shinned in the sunlight. Along its sides stripes were painted around it in red, orange, green, purple and blue. It was lovely and simple. It would have fit Splinter's personality perfectly. He lifted his eyes again to meet hers and they glistened in the mid-morning light. "It's beautiful. He would have loved it."

Sarah's eyes shimmered as well as she knelt and pulled out a much smaller object from the bag. Donnie could feel her grow anxious as she pressed it to her chest. "I thought…maybe we could…I mean if you want to…keep this one at home." She closed her eyes as she revealed the small silver box with the word Father engraved on its top.

Donnie knelt beside her and squeezed her shoulder. He could feel her struggling to contain her sorrow. Leo reached out, wrapping his large hands around hers. "I think that would be a great idea."

She opened her eyes, allowing the tears to escape, belying the calmness of her appearance. Behind them, Cat swiped at her eyes and Raph wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Neither girl had slept the night before. Cat had paced the floor while Sarah had stared out the kitchen window for hours. A thought had occurred to them in the hours just before dawn. They had nothing to put Splinter's ashes in, and so they had woken April and asked to borrow her van. The morning had been spent in search of a funeral home in hopes they could obtain a worthy vase for their loved one.

Leo rose taking the small box with him. "Mikey, will you go find some shovels in the barn."

Mike nodded and headed for the barn. Kala followed him. She was still very worried about her husband. He had barely spoken in the past two days and it concerned her greatly.

"Let me help you look." April hurried after the couple.

Leo turned towards the tree line and the ash pile that lay beyond. Raph put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, bro."

Leo nodded, giving his brother a small thankful smile. Together the remainder of their family started for the solemn place. Mira ran ahead of the group with the small rabbit in her arms and stopped a few feet away to gaze at the burnt ground. Donnie took Sarah's hand in his as they trailed behind. He could feel she was on the precipice of breaking and he wanted to be near when she did.

They waited quietly until Mikey returned with four small gardening shovels. He silently hand one to each of the brothers. Leo sighed as he looked at the small tool. It felt wrong somehow to use such a crass tool, so impersonal. He walked slowly to the pile and knelt beside it. He set the shovel in the grass as he pulled out the large urn and set it before him. Lifting the shovel, he regarded it again and then lay back on the ground.

With gentleness that was uncommon to his powerful hands, he scooped the ash with his bare hands, letting it slip through his fingers into the urn. There seemed to be a finality to what he did, the closing of a chapter, the settling of unspoken words, that made every breath and heart beat seem very clear and very real. He recalled his father's words from long ago. "Life is but a cycle – birth, growth, death and rebirth in a new form. We change and become new again through every stage of life. But the one constant is our soul. It retains the lessons learned and is there to guide us during each stage. Listen to it, my son. Be true to it and you will always find the right path."

Mira watched in fascination as her father and uncles knelt and mimicked Leo's actions. She could feel them each growing calmer with every handful of ash until the urn was filled and Leo replaced its lid. She set the rabbit down and it scurried away as she felt anger swell in her. Were they forgetting him already? Was he so easily ripped from their lives without care?

"Mira!" Sarah shot towards her as the tot turned and darted into the woods. "Mira, come back!"

Donnie stood and wiped the ash from his hands. He caught Sarah's arm as she started for the woods. "No, I'll get her."

Sarah clenched a fist at her breast. "She's angry."

He nodded, understanding. He sighed as he turned and walked into the trees. He didn't have to go more than a few hundred yards. Mira had found a tree and scurried up it to sit in the space where it split into two separate trunks. He paused looking up at her small form. Her knees clutched to her plastron and her face buried in them. He sighed again. "Mira, sweetheart, come down." She didn't move. "Mira, please come down."

She lifted her eyes and glared. "How could you forget about him already?"

Donnie closed his eyes against the pain. "Mira, I could never forget your grandfather. None of us could. He has been with us our entire lives, just like he has with you."

"But you are! You're forgetting him. You're not sad anymore."

Donnie shook his head. "I am sad, but life goes on. We must look towards tomorrow with hope. Splinter would never want us to remain stuck in the past. He wouldn't want you to be sad forever."

Tears streamed her cheeks. "But I am sad."

He took a deep breath. "I know you are." He opened his arms and she jumped down into them. He held her tightly. "But it will fade with time, just hold onto his memories. Hold on to his love." Mira's tears dampened his shoulder as he turned and headed back to the others.

Relief washed over the others' faces as they stepped from the trees. Sarah rushed forward wrapping her arms around them both. After a moment, Leo approached them. "Here, I think you should fill this one, Mira-chan." He handed her the small silver box.

She wiped her eyes and blinked at it, then looked towards her mother. Sarah smiled softly. "Yes, I think so too."

They all walked back to the ashes, kneeling beside them, Leo handed her a shovel. The small turtle stared at it much as he had done a little earlier. She looked around at the ash that still clung to her uncles' hands and just as they had done, she set aside the tool to scoop small handfuls into the box.

When it was full and the lid replaced, Leo stood. He met each of their eyes. "It's time to go home."


Donnie typed on his computer, trying to figure out a calculation. They had returned home to the very empty feeling lair almost a week ago. Leo had only waited a day before he had started reviewing the ship and plane departures for his trip to Japan and back. He had decided that he could sneak onboard a flight. He was leaving in the morning, so he was busy preparing for his trip. Raph was spending a lot of time with Cat in the garage and really didn't talk to them much. Mikey had finally regained his own voice and was slowly getting back to normal, though the sparkle in his eyes was still dulled. In reality, the sparkle had yet to return to everyone's eyes.

Donnie suddenly gasped as pain shot through him – a terrible paralyzing grief. There was clatter in the living room and he was on his feet running in that direction. He stopped short, staring at the scene before him. "Sarah…" She had collapsed to her knees in the doorway to Splinter's room, a tray with two mugs of tea lay broken on the floor beside her. She wept uncontrollably into her hands. He knelt beside her pulling her tight against him. It had finally happened, the wall was broken and her grief gushed out like a tidal wave. "Shh…"

His gentle soothing only seemed to make her sob harder still. She gripped his plastron. "I…I…forgot. How could I have forgotten?"

He understood. She had come to have tea with Splinter, a practice formed over eight years. It had just been a habit for her to pour the two cups of tea after putting their dinner to cook and head to his room to wait for the timer to buzz. But when she'd slid the door open to find the room empty, the world had come crashing down upon her. Now, she cried desperately into her mate's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her. "You've been taking such good care of us all. You've been so strong. It's time to let it go." Her small frame shook and quaked with her pain. And just as she had done for him, he drew it in through their bond, responding with love.

Mikey and Kala stood on the far side of the room. Tears streamed her face and she turned to bury it in Mikey's neck. He held her close as he watched the tender scene before him. Leo had stepped from his doorway mere seconds after Donnie had arrived. He watched silently as well, understanding the loss she was finally feeling.

Mira edged around the couch. "Mama?"

Donnie watched her to be sure she didn't step on the broken porcelain. He met her eyes. They had already gone through this. The emotions were familiar. He touched her little cheek before scooping Sarah into his arms and solemnly carrying her to their room. There they would stay the remainder of the night.

Mira looked after them. "Mama?"

Leo put a hand on her shoulder. "She'll be okay, Mira."

The tiny turtle nodded. She had known all along her mother was suppressing her anguish.

Mikey headed for the kitchen. "I'll finish dinner."

Kala grabbed a broom. "And I'll clean this up."

Leo smiled slightly. He had been worried that his absence, even for a week, might cause a rift in the family. But as he watched his brother and sister-in-law complete the tasks left undone, he knew they would be fine. If Splinter taught us anything, it was to look after one another.

Morning came too soon for everyone. Leo set his duffle bag beside the elevator. April was going to take him to the airport. He looked around at his family. He could feel the weight of his burden again. He no longer had just three brothers to care for, but three sisters and niece. Mikey looked terrified at the idea of him leaving. Raph stubbornly refused to meet his eyes, and Donnie looked worried. Leo knew not all of the worry was for him though. Sarah clung to his side with red swollen eyes. She stared up at Leo and her eyes seemed to plead with him not to go. She licked her lips, but held her tongue.

Leo's eyes pleaded back with hers. If she spoke and begged him not to leave, it would be too much. Feeling his determination waiver he turned his eyes to Cat, who also looked up at him. Her gaze was steady and strong. "Please, be careful Leo."

"Yeah, we need you, bro." Mikey pulled Kala a little tighter against his side.

The Neutrino nodded. "Yes, we all do."

"I will." Leo turned his gaze to Raph but still he would not look at him. So, he turned to Donnie.

He handed him his cell. "I've recalibrated it so it'll work over there. Keep in contact, okay?"

Leo nodded. "I'll call once I get there."

There was a tug at his elbow and Leo looked down into big brown eyes. "You're coming back, aren't you, Uncle Leo?"

He knelt in front of her. "Yes, my little Mira-chan. I will come back, I promise." Tears still welled in her eyes and he rushed to reassure her. "And when I get back, I think it'll be time to start your training."

She brightened slightly. "Really?"

He smiled. "Yes, you're old enough now." They had actually discussed Mira's training several weeks earlier with Splinter before he had become ill. He patted the tot's head as he stood.

"We should be going, Leo." April reminded him, glancing at her watch.

Leo lifted his eyes to Raph with hope he would at least look at him, but he didn't. "Well, bye. I'll see you guys in a week." He turned and stepped into the elevator with April. He pressed the button and sighed as the doors began to shut.

Suddenly a green hand caught the door and Raph stepped inside, unshed tears pooled in the corners of his eyes. He wrapped his brother in a tight hug. "Don't forget about us, Leo."

Leo sighed, returning the embrace. "I won't, I swear."

Raph stepped back as the doors began to shut again. "You better not or I'll kick your shell."

Leo couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips. "I'm counting on you to take care of everyone."

A half-smile graced Raph's face as the door finally closed and the lift began to rise into the garage, carrying him away from his home and family. Leo felt a pang in his heart, but refused to allow it to show on his face. April's warm hand landed on his shoulder. "They'll be okay, Leo. They have each other. They are more worried about you being out there alone."

Leo graced her with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "I won't be alone. Master Splinter will be watching over me until I return home."


"I've been rotting in this hole for more than a year. And you come to me now and offer me my freedom. Why?"

"I don't just offer you freedom, but revenge for the ones that put you here. I ask nothing in return, save the knowledge of their deaths."

"So, you intended to use me for your own revenge?"

"Does that trouble you?"

"No."


A/N: That last part is a taste of the chapters to come. See if you can guess who it is. -laughs manically- Also, we're going to finally meet Leo's girl. As I said, I've never really been a big fan of Karai in all her versions. Her character always seemed flat and lifeless, as if the writers were forcing her on Leo not really trying to find him someone he could love. But that just my opinion, such as it is. Let me know if you liked it.