short chapter, this takes place between, and is mostly filling the gaps between, Information Not Found and the prologue! thank you so much for commenting and following - it really means a lot. this fic is my most precious baby and I'm so happy people are enjoying it!

The Other Side of the Wrong Door
Part 2: Night one, Day two.

The code, the night they had gotten Raph back to base, after twenty games of twenty questions, had been yellow. Leo had asked him question after question, and Donnie had been far too interested in the old crack in his shell for comfort, tapping the points that had been worn down as Raph had aged and grown.

Then, when Leo was satisfied, he and Mikey headed out for patrol. Casey stayed up for first watch, and Raph and Donnie went to bed, Raph sacking out on Donnie's floor, listening to the deeper noise of his little brother's breathing.

Raph couldn't help but make the obvious comparison. His Donnie slept on his back, snored a bit, talked in his sleep, drooled some nights to the point he got crusty dry flaking at the side of his mouth some days in the winter. When they were little, Donnie had been the worst fidget — worse than Mikey, even — feet and hands hitting anything they could.

This Donnie slept like the dead.

Silent. Flat on his belly. Didn't move. His hand was a heavy, cool weight on Raph's shell, and Raph wasn't sure if it was to make sure Raph was still there, or make sure Raph couldn't leave.

And then, April had arrived.

And Raph had watched his brother put her to sleep, like a sick, sad little dog.

Raph had sat in the kitchen with Donnie and Casey until Leo and Mikey came back from the surface, and then watched as Mikey hauled Donnie into a bear-hug, as Leo had pressed his finger and thumb between his eyes, as Casey had sloped off to handle the disposal, and come back in covered in ash.

Casey and Donnie had developed a system, Raph learned. One would put the clone out, the other would deal with the body, trading with each-other so that they never had to deal with this whole mess all alone.

There had been a day of quiet to follow, and Raph had never been left on his own – someone was always in the room with him. Mostly Casey, but sometimes Mikey. Once or twice he'd seen the human woman — Angel — but that was about it. Leo never really hung around, always looking at Raph like he was waiting for Raph to shed his skin and start talking like a Kraang.

Donnie was busy playing with the portal device.

"I thought you just had to turn it on," Raph had said at one point, brow raised. "What's stopping it from working?"

"It probably took a knock when it fell. No big deal, but…" Donnie had not met Raph's gaze. "Raph," he said slowly, quietly, and Raph felt a rock start a slow, steady descent into his stomach. Donnie looked over his shoulder, as though making sure that Leo wasn't lurking in the corner. "I know you're not our Raph. I know you don't have to have any loyalty to us at all. But… if you wouldn't mind, for a couple of days… I think we can use this."

"For what?"

"For April. Our April. I think I know where they're keeping her. I think we can use this to get her back."

Night Three:

"On my mark," said Leo, when the plans were made, and Donnie bathed them all in the pink light of the portal, and Raph watched his brothers slip into the light.

:3 part 3 soon!