*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, 'It's a Wonderful Life', or 'The Greatest Gift.'

*Author's Notes: I'm back again with chapter 4 of 'Because You Weren't There,' and as I pointed out in the previous chapter, this one gets pretty dramatic.

Great big hugs to everyone for the awesome feedback you have given me on this story. You guys always make me feel all warm and toasty inside. 8}

Thanks so much for reading. ;) CJ

Chapter 4 – Away in a Sewer

Once outside of the building, I immediately switch into ninja stealth mode and take to the rooftops, knowing it's a lot easier to remain invisible when you're high above the city. Luckily, I'm able to scale up the side of the abandoned building without detection.

Or least I hope so . . .

One never knows when there are Kraang stealth ships lurking about.

The landscape I once knew like the back of my palm is entirely different now. Some of the buildings have been replaced with unusual crystallized structures; others look more like an alien spacecraft than an actual building.

Much to my dismay, I can't take the straightest path home. I have to significantly alter my route, so as to stick to the buildings that still have a flat rooftop for me to leap across.

I try not to let my nerves get the better of me, focusing my concentration solely on getting back to the lair rather than the odd changes to the scenery surrounding me.

Hopefully, my brothers will know what's going on.

All things considered, I make pretty good time, even though I had to stop for several minutes to avoid being spotted by a Kraang probe.

I decide to sneak down into the sewers once I get within about a mile of the lair, just in case someone or something is following me. This will give me plenty of square footage to work with. If there is, in fact, someone tracking my movements, I can easily give them the slip as soon as we're underground.

I head for the nearest manhole cover and silently lower myself down into the shadowy maze of tunnels below the surface.

There doesn't seem to be anyone on my tail, but I take the necessary precautions regardless. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Weaving through the dark sewer passageways in what I hope is an untraceable pattern, I slowly make my way back to the lair.

The mere sight of the turnstiles that lead to the old abandoned subway station my family and I call home makes all the tension I'm feeling inside instantly start to melt away.

Bolting towards the main entrance, I eagerly climb up the first set of stairs and hurtle over the turnstiles. My mind is racing about a million miles a minute, trying feverishly to formulate some kind of a plan. I just need to get to my lab, so I can run some –

My brain suddenly stops mid-sentence, as do my feet.

All I can do is just stand here, dumbfounded, staring at the space before me.

"Guys?"

My voice echoes throughout the familiar yet strangely unrecognizable room, chilling me straight to the bone.

"GUYS!"

This second outcry is verging on desperate, but it falls on deaf ears.

My brothers are not here, nor is my father.

They aren't the only things missing.

As I look around the open space through disbelieving eyes, I realize there is no pinball machine, television set, bean bag chair, Christmas tree, or practice dummy. Nor are there Shoji screens around the Dojo, cushions or pillows on the couch, VHS tapes stored in a dingy, old crate, or empty Antonio's pizza boxes strewn across the floor.

There's nothing but dust and rubble.

"What the . . . ?"

Still in a state of shock, and quite possibly denial, I sprint towards my lab and drag the doors open with far more force than I ever remember having to use before. It feels as if they haven't been operated in years, even though I know darn well that's not the case.

This doesn't make sense . . .

Now verging on panic, I burst inside the laboratory and let out a sharp gasp.

My things! They're all gone.

Everything!

It's just –

GONE!

No! This isn't happening! This . . . This isn't real! There's got to be a logical explanation for this whole thing.

Turning on my heels, I make a mad dash for my brothers' bedrooms. My head tells me what I don't want to hear, but my heart won't let me believe it.

They'll be there.

They're always there!

Just as I'm about to enter Leo's room, I hear a soft voice behind me.

"You won't find what you're looking for, Donatello."

For some strange reason, Herman's sudden appearance doesn't startle me in the least. I simply choose to ignore his comment and step inside my oldest brother's room, only to find that it, too, is vacant. Just like all the other rooms in the lair.

How can this be?

I turn to see Herman standing patiently in the hallway; sympathy written across his face.

"Where's my family, Herman? What did you do to them?" Though the actual words sound like an accusation, my voice holds no anger. Just agony.

The noticeable shudder that rocks Herman's broad shoulders makes my insides twist into knots.

"Wh – Where are they? Just t – tell me what happened to them. Please!" I have to lean against Leonardo's door frame for support. This is all too much to bear.

"I'm sorry, Donatello. I truly am. But your family – They didn't survive."

The beginning of a sob squeaks out of my throat, but I thickly swallow it down.

Still, I nearly choke on my next words.

"They . . . Th – They were k – killed . . . in the invasion?"

Herman dips his chin down and shakes his head to silently say, "No."

"What then? Was it . . . Was it the Sh – Shredder?"

Again, Herman shakes his head, but this time, he elaborates on his response.

"They died around sixteen years ago. Not long after the four of them were mutated."

"No . . . I don't understand."

Herman's sad gaze lifts up to meet mine, and now, I'm the one shaking my head.

"Something very significant happened when you were just a small turtle, Donatello. I'm sure you don't remember, but you saved your father's life. He was trying to protect you and your brothers from the Kraang, but the enemy got the upper-hand. They were about to shoot your father, when you flashed a camera bulb in their eyes to distract them. Your actions turned the tide of the fight."

There's a brief pause, and for a moment, all that can be heard is my uneven breathing until Herman is finally able to find his voice again.

"Without you there, I'm afraid Master Splinter – He was killed during the fight."

"N – No . . . " My sorrow comes shining through in my cracked voice and my sentence can't go any further than that one broken word.

"After that, the Kraang took your brothers and – "

Herman can't even bring himself to complete what he had been trying to say. He doesn't need to. His tragic eyes tell me the rest of the story.

Cupping a trembling hand over my mouth, I can only gape at the man in horror for what seems like an eternity.

Leo . . .

Raph . . .

Mikey . . .

Sensei . . .

Then, I realize there's still one member of our 'family' that the man hasn't spoken of yet.

"What about April, Herman? What happened to her?" My words come out just louder than a whisper, making it painfully obvious that I'm terrified to hear of April's fate.

I soon learn my apprehension is completely warranted.

"Without you and your brothers there to rescue her, April was captured by the Kraang. She was the key component to them taking over the Earth."

"And is she . . . is she s – still alive?"

Another shake of the head.

Another knife to my heart.

I have to close my eyes at this, for fear of completely losing my composure.

The thought of my whole family dying at the tentacles of the Kraang . . .

It's more than I can take.

No longer able to support my weight, I fall to my knees on the threshold of my oldest brother's empty bedroom.

"Now do you see what an impact your life has made on not just your family, but the whole world, Donatello?"

"Yes . . . Yes, I do . . . And I'm sorry I didn't see it before . . . But I've learned my lesson, Herman. I swear. Now please . . . Please change things back."

Wiping the tears away from my eyes, I glance up at Herman, but what I see – or rather don't see makes my heart start to gallop inside my chest.

The hallway is now just as empty as Leo's room.

"H – Herman?"

Pulling myself into an upright position, I frantically start searching every inch of the lair, but there is no trace of the man I had just been talking to. There isn't even a footprint left behind in the dust.

It's like he was never even here.

"HERMAN!" I shout the name so loudly, my voice nearly gives out from the strain, but there's still no response.

He's gone, and with him, any potential chance of turning things back to normal.

What have I done?

My whole family is gone . . .

No more Mikey to make me laugh or give me a huge bear hug when I'm down.

No more Raph to help me work on the stealth bike or listen to rock music with.

No more Leo to show me how to improve my form or try to beat me at chess.

No more Master Splinter to teach me about the past or train me how to fight.

No more April to ask me questions about her calculus homework or tell me what it's like to actually be in high school.

They're gone . . .

They're gone because of me . . .

All this time, I've been complaining about them not appreciating me enough, when I'm the one who should've appreciated them more. I should've appreciated all that I had.

And now, it's too late.

If I can't find Herman, I'm going to be stuck in this awful reality forever.

This isn't a 'special gift' like Herman had promised. This is the worst possible gift ever imaginable.

A life without my family is no life at all.

Tilting my head back, I call out for Herman, as loud as my voice will carry.

"Please come back! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said that things would be easier if I'd never been mutated! Or that things would be better off without me! They're not! I don't want this! I want my family back! I want things just like they were before! Please, Herman! I promise to appreciate them more! Please! Please just bring them back!"

I drop down to my knees once again and bury my face in my hands. Partly because I'm so overwhelmed with unspeakable grief, but mostly because I suddenly have this shooting pain in my head. The pressure just keeps building and building, to the point that it feels as if someone's trying to drive a stake straight through my skull.

A howl of pain rips out of my throat, raw and hoarse. "Gyahhh!"

Without warning, the whole room starts to spin and my vision fills with bursts of light, almost like a kaleidoscope.

Completely out of breath, I collapse onto the floor with a heavy thud. As I lie here in the middle of the lair, splayed out on my plastron, I begin to shiver uncontrollably. So much so, my teeth are audibly chattering. My skin feels as though it's freezing cold and burning hot at the same time, but before long, any sensation of discomfort fades away right along with my shivering. Each inhale and exhale seems to be getting further and further apart. The slow, shallow sound of my breathing is soothing, lulling me to sleep.

A little voice deep inside my head tells me that something is seriously wrong with me and I shouldn't close my eyes. That if I do, I won't ever wake up, but the exhaustion is greater than my will to fight. I'm just too tired to keep my eyelids open a second longer. And so, I seal them shut, and the moment I do, blackness swallows me whole.

To be continued . . .

*Author's Notes: Awww! Poor, poor Donnie. This chapter breaks my heart. 8{

So, what does everyone think is going to happen in the final chapter? Will there be a happy ending? Will Donatello ever see his family again? You'll find out soon enough, because I plan on posting the last chapter on my 'regular' day and time this week.

If you're a fan of this story, please take a moment to favorite, follow, like, reblog, review, and/or comment. I would absolutely LOVE to know if you're enjoying 'Because You Weren't There.' Thank you very, very much for reading. See you soon. ;) CJ