Disclaimer - It bears repeating that I do not own the TMNT's or anyone representing POTC.

If ya thought the last chapter was too angsty, mate, ya haven't read anything yet. Yo Ho, it's a pirate's life fer me.

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Chapter 13 - Bugger All!

As Leonardo collapsed and as his brothers screamed his name, their panicky shrieks reverberating through the cave.

In the next moment, Don dropped down next to his stricken sibling. At the same time, Mike and Raphael unleashed their weapons and turned towards the source of the fired shot.

With his brothers ready to meet the new threat, Don cradled Leonardo in his arms.

"Leo, LEO, what happened, speak to me…," he pleaded and then Don noticed the bullet hole in Leo's chest. With blood oozing freely from the wound, Donatello's eyes were now wide with horror, "Oh god, no, please NO!"

Don realized the hole was right where Leo's heart would be and, though the blood flowed liberally from the wound, it didn't run as readily as it should, considering its location. It puzzled him for a moment. He knew there should have been more blood. Donatello had seen enough chest-related gunshot wounds to know when a bullet pierced the heart - and he was certain Leo's was.

Just the same, he didn't have time to consider it, because Raphael and Michelangelo were already racing through the saltwater tributary towards their assailant. Their cries of anguish shook the turtle in purple, their weapons in hand, as they quickly targeted the one responsible for shooting their brother. Donatello watched their advance, to make certain they would have him covered, and then turned his attention back to Leonardo once again.

Frantically feeling for a pulse along his brother's neck, Don frowned when he couldn't find one. He tried the other side, but - again - he was unsuccessful.

Now, a choking sob bubbled its way from Don's very being. It started slow, building upon itself until his overwhelming grief nearly strangled him. His breath hitched once and he tried to cry out, only to find his voice stunted with a bottleneck of emotions. His body shaking with grief and as tears fell freely down his face, Donatello hugged Leo closer to his plastron and wept into him.

"Leo, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, I should have listened to you."

With a shuddering breath, the purple-banded turtle looked up to see Raphael and Mikey cut across the other side of the cave. Then, as his eyes drew to the farthest end and to where his brothers were heading, he saw two men standing behind an outcropping of boulders. One held a smoking gun, obviously the one who had fired the shot…and who wore a very familiar tricorne hat!

"What?" Don managed to mutter softly between sobs, "Couldn't be, could it?"

Then, a movement to the man's right distracted Don. He also wore a tricorne, black in color. Unlike the other man's hat, though, this one sported an ostrich feather along the topside. His eyes were wide with fear, his brow knitted together in confusion, but what stilled Don's heart was that the second man held a gun in his hand, too.

Then, the second man suddenly recovered his confidence and his focus, and raised his gun to take aim.

Before Donnie could shout a warning to his brothers, he heard a chorus of angry shouts interrupt the scene. The excited voices seemed to come from behind the two men, though, getting louder and closer with every passing second.

Is that another tunnel? Don asked himself and then realized that behind the two men was another opening in the cave wall. Then, he watched as the second man hesitated, obviously as distracted as he. Don gulped, watching the human turned towards the sound and just as he did, more men gathered in behind him and his partner.

As they raised their pistols, Don panicked once again. He knew in that moment that he and his brothers were horrifically out-gunned.

Yet, for a long, pregnant, and surreal moment, he recognized something else, as well, and he forgot about the new arrivals. Quickly assessing their clothes and specifically the two men he had first seen, their costumes looked all too familiar to him, yet, none more so than the one in dreadlocks. With the jewelry entwined within his hair and his head capped with the tricorne hat, Don knew he had seen the man, or something like him, before.

But, where? Don asked silently, his current emotional state impeding his memory.

Suddenly, Raphael and Michelangelo's raging cry rudely interrupted Donatello's evaluation of the two men. Cringing, he heard his brothers' verbalized anguish and loud utterances. As their voices echoed within the cavern, the effect sent chills up Donatello's arms. Always the fastest of the four, Mikey led the way, with Raphael following close behind him. All Don could do in that moment was watch as they advanced quickly on the knot of men.

Knowing the new arrivals had guns, though, Don tried to call out to his brothers to warn them, "RAPH, MIKE, LOOK OUT THEY HAVE…" but before his words penetrated his brothers' rage, a shot rang out from the second man's gun, the bullet finding its mark in Michelangelo.

Don saw his brother flinch and cry out and almost fall. Yet, before another anguished moan could escape the purple-banded turtle, Mike's pumped-up adrenaline helped him to regain his foothold again. Despite his pain, Mike caught his balance and, more determined than Don had ever seen him, plunged forward towards the mass of men - and guns. With his left arm bleeding, now, and more useless than helpful, Michelangelo's good hand whirled his nunchuk like an out of control machine.

As more men filled the tunnel opening from behind their compatriots and as they saw the advancing creatures, they all fired their pistols at the same time.

The first shot hit Raphael in the upper right shoulder. He gave way for just a moment, growling a curse in reply. But, then, he dug in and used the pain to heighten his rage. Stubbornly, he pressed on, all reasoning gone and with only one goal in mind.

Then, Mike stumbled and with sickening abruptness, he fell.

Raphael first heard his brother cry out, he watched as Mikey grabbed his chest. As his brother's weapons dropped from his hands and rattled along the ground, Raph hesitated, but only for a second. Then, as Michelangelo collapsed to the ground, Raph knew the other bullets had found their second target, his brother.

Raphael watched helplessly as Mikey fell to the stone floor, his arms and legs flailing uselessly. His forward momentum however caused him to roll once and then the turtle in orange lay still and unmoving.

Screaming with more uncontrollable rage and grief, Raphael turned a near-hysterical face towards the men. Increasing his advance and closing the gap on his target, just as he reached the man who had shot Leo and before Raph could impale him, a sword suddenly thrust into the tangs of one of his sai.

The owner of the sword, the man who had fired the second shot, pushed hard against the weapon and effectively saved his friend's life.

For a second, the sudden and unexpected interruption of his strike unbalanced him. Instinctively, Raphael brought his second sai up to parley, but the swordsman was ready for that, too. Catching the twin with his other rapier and in the same fashion as he did with the first, Will Turner pushed and turned the turtle away from Sparrow.

Now, the two wrestled, upright, and determined, Raphael against Turner, as Jack looked on. The pirate watched, fascinated, as the two struggled like a pair of bucks caught by their antlers during rutting season. Stepping back and away from the conflict, he pulled a sword from his side, just in case Will failed.

As the other men watched, the turtle growled loudly, menacingly, giving way to animalistic rage. His anger and grief echoed piercingly against the stone interior of the cave, causing the men to hunker back into the tunnel opening. Although afraid, they quickly brought their guns to the ready.

Even though the man he fought against was taller, though, Raphael was far stronger, a credit to his keen physical conditioning. Will didn't know that, of course. Consequently, Raphael's strength and knowledge with how to disarm a sword-wielding opponent greatly surprised the man.

With a turn of his body and then a twist of hand, the turtle used his sai to rip Will's swords from the man's grasp. Executed so quickly, Turner seemed unaware that he had lost his weapons; that is until he realized he was grabbing at air, instead of the hilt of his swords. Wide-eyed, he stood there confused for a moment, as his rapiers flew across the breadth of the cavern. Landing in the saltwater stream, they were now beyond reach and purpose.

Turner then tried to lash out with a fist.

Raph was expecting as much.

In less time than it took to charge the group and in a move borne of countless hours in the dojo, Raphael executed a perfect tornado kick. Foot to midsection, he sent the unsuspecting Will Turner into the cavern wall with a resounding 'oomph'. The man's head hit the rocky surface with a sickening crunch and then he fell limp to the floor, unconscious.

Then, just as Raphael prepared to impale the man, to finish the job, another shot rang out.

Instantly, Raph felt a searing pain from the bullet as it cut through him, this time piercing his side. Feeling its sting, he whipped around instinctively to meet the next challenge. However, his eyes went wide with startled surprise.

He suddenly felt very weak. Having all he could do to remain standing and determined not to fall, he stood there, rigid, frozen in place. Then, he began to shake, as he weakened further.

He tried to cry out in protest, yet Raph's utterances drowned in his throat. Confused, Raphael appeared caught between rage and unfamiliar fear. Then, weakening further, his legs finally gave out, and he collapsed to the cavern floor.

Laying there sprawled along the stony ground, blood now pooled in his mouth. As some dribbled between his lips, just before losing consciousness, Raphael looked up and saw the person responsible for his imminent death.

Emerging from the group of terrified men, their own pistols spent and their swords impotent with indecision, stepped Elizabeth Swann. She held her pistol, smoking and spent of its bullet, as she stared down at the demon turtle.

Crumpled along the rough-hewn floor, Raphael looked up at her and gave one last growl and a snarl, before fading way, his pupils now set in death.

As shocked as the men were by all they had witness, Elizabeth stood there, jaw set in determination. She then heaved a heavy sigh and murmured, "What kind of creature is this?"

Suddenly, an anguished cry interrupted her questioning. Turning towards the sound, Elizabeth and the men stared across the grotto. There, sitting by the stone chest of gold and as his body shook with overwhelming grief the last remaining turtle outstretched his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Don't shoot, please. Please don't shoot me, I won't harm you, please…oh god, Leo, Raph...Mikey…Splinter." Then Don fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. He lifted Leo to his chest again and hugged him as if he would float away if he didn't. Rocking his dead brother back and forth, Don thought of his family. Everyone was gone, now, dead. He was the last remaining of his brothers, of his kind. In that moment, he wished for death himself, regretting his curiosity about the gold. He was certain that somehow in touching the coins, that they had served a judgment.

"Leo was right, he was right - he's…he's always right," he sobbed into his brother.

However, before anyone could react, before Donatello realized what was happening, Leo's body suddenly convulsed. Then, the turtle in blue coughed, took in a deep and desperate breath, before swallowing. Opening his eyes, Leonardo looked up into his brother's astonished and tear-stained face. At first, he seemed puzzled, but then he asked, "What…in shell…just happened?"

As he stared in confusion with his brother's return, a smile of relief slowly grew along Donatello's face.

Yet, one voice muttered unhappily from across the cavern, with Jack's words causing Gibbs and Elizabeth to groan.

"Bugger all, we're too late!"

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A/N - Hmm…a harbinger of things to come? Bwahahaha