Authors notes- I don't own the TMNT, just the two green banded ninjas.

This your second (longer) chapter, enjoy! Sorry it's taken a while longer, wanted to make sure it made sense.

You can count on me

Entering the seemingly empty Lair, I quickly search for the next two turtles on my list I need to talk to, Don and Mike. I find Mikey sitting at the kitchen table, looking rather sullen.

"Is it really that bad that I'm back?" I grin, and his eyes snap up to meet with mine. He only grunts in response, seeming more like the young Raphael than the older Michelangelo. "Mikey-"

"Mike, not Mikey."

"Oh? Why?" I tilt my head at his response.

"I'm an adult Karm. I'm not the… baby I once was."

"Why so bitter little big bro?" I take a seat next to him, examining his baby blue eyes.

"I'm not." He quickly stands. "Just, things change, and so do people."

"Do they?"

He turns to meet my glance, then with a shake of his head, turns his back on me.

"You haven't been through what I have, you wouldn't understand."

"No, I don't understand this world Mikey. I'm in love with Leo, Raph murdered the only man that could answer questions about my origins and Casey's dead… but, do I have to understand to help?"

"…You sound like sensei."

"Leo did always say next to Master Splinter, I was the other voice of reason he'd listen to."

"'Cause he loves you."

"No Mikey," I smile slightly, "The world I'm from, Leo doesn't feel that way, he's my big brother."

"Sorry, that ain't the world you're in." Shrugging his shoulders, he turns back to me.

"I want to talk to you."

"What 'bout?"

"Don."

"You said to help, you didn't have to understand."

"Well… I guess I just want to know what happened to him. He is my brother, if it's avoidable in my world, then-"

"It won't happen in your world." Mikey cuts me short and stares me down. "Don's leg was shattered into pieces in a driving accident. Look at it as luck or not, but the truck smashed into one of Bishop's armoured trucks."

"Bishop's?" My eyes grow wide.

"Yeah. He helped, he fixed Don up. Without Bishop, Don… Don would have bled to death from the injury, we don't have the things to deal with something like that."

"…But there was a catch."

"Yeah… Don had to help out Bishop for a while. Bishop called Leo from Don's cell. 'Donatello helps us, and we help him, he doesn't help, we'll chuck his mangled corpse on the street.' That kinda deal."

"But-"

"It was Leo's decision, no one else's. He agreed."

"Then why… why won't it happen in my world?"

"Don was going to… going to pick April up to take her to the cemetery… to see Casey…"

"And in my world… Raph and Casey won't fall out… Casey won't get shot… Don won't have to drive April…" I piece it together in my head.

"Exactly." Mikey shrugs a little. "You've got nothing to worry about, so just go back to your perfect little world."

"But I want to help, I don't know how long I'll be here for."

"Don't bother. This world's too fucked up for you to help." He strolls out of the kitchen.

"Mikey!" Jumping up, I call after him, but he's made it clear, he doesn't want to talk. I slump back into the chair with a heavy sigh.

"He's been hurt a lot from all this."

I look up to see Don in the doorway, leaning on his jo staff.

"Clearly." My eyes drop back down to the table.

"Don't take it personally Karm, Mikey feels he's been let down by everyone."

"Except you." I glance back up to him, to see a brief smile cross his face.

"I guess." He carefully walks forward, and takes a seat, albeit a little clumsily.

"A driving accident… If I ever guessed it would happen, it would have involved Raph."

"Everyone else was busy, I didn't want April to drive, she was still upset. It hadn't long happened."

"You're just too nice, Donny."

"There's no such thing Karm, I just do what I have to for my friends and my family."

"Including working yourself to death every night?" I quirk an eyeridge.

"A personal choice." He smiles slightly. "The early hours of the morning are much more peaceful."

"Even in this world?"

"Even in this world. I'm not as tired as I was as a teenager, I don't have to wake up at dawn to train."

"Of course."

"No, not because of my leg." He shakes his head. "Believe me or not, but I can still fight, if I need to. It's because we've made truces with our enemies. Shredder's out the picture and Karai in his place, but Leo talked her around to leaving us alone if we left them alone. Bishop, obviously more of an ally now, because of the work I did for him, and don't worry, it wasn't on any weapons or abominations. I helped with his security system, he said if we could stay hidden for so long, ours must be good."

"I knew you wouldn't help with anything you wouldn't agree with Don." I smile weakly.

"Which is why I want to help you."

"What do you mean?"

"You want to put this family together."

I nod at his statement.

"Of course I do."

"You know our secrets, you know why things are the way they are, so… what's your plan?" My brother smiles knowingly.

"I… Uh, I don't have one." Grinning sheepishly, I rub the back of my neck.

"Then be thankful I want to help." Don stands up carefully.

"You have a plan?!" I get up too.

"Of course I do, they don't call me a genius for nothing, Karma."

He turns to slowly make his way out of the kitchen and I follow, grinning broadly.

"Wait." A voice calls out from the dojo. Donny and I both turn, to see Mikey putting his nunchucks into his belt. "I'm in."

I grin even broader, glancing between both brothers.

"I knew I could count on both of you!"