Hi! Once again, it's been forever since I updated thsi story. I've decided to end the story here and make another sequel. it just feels like the right thing to do, so... yeah.

Chapter 23

Doorway To Dreams

As Tana and Mikey challenged each other acrobatically, The fun-loving ninja turtle thought he was in heaven. Tana was so fun to hang out with! She had the most awesome prank ideas, loved and appreciated comics as much as he did and furthermore…

"Mikey! Dude, that was SO AWESOME!"

She enjoyed hanging out with him. Mikey grinned, landing on his feet after performing an incredible triple backflip, followed by an aerial cartwheel.

She grinned as they rested by Times Square, in the shadow of the moon. Tana sighed in contentment.

Mikey chuckled as he sat with her," You know, Tana, this sure is a nice night."

"You got that right, Mikey."

Tana sat right by him, hooking her arm through his," You know, I've never had this much fun… with anyone. Everyone says I go too fast."

Mikey looked at her with his big blue eyes as her green eyes turned to his.

"You and I seem to go at the same pace," Mikey began Tana chiming," I know! I totally get you! And you get me! It's SO WEIRD! No one else has ever gotten me like you do! Well, no guys."

She added, in a somewhat shy tone.

Mikey swallowed slightly as he asked," Tana… I really like you."

"I like you too, Mikey."

"…No, I mean… I think I love you."

…

"Come again?"

8~8~8~8~8

Angel glared suspiciously at Tristan as he sat on the couch, watching "The A-Team".

He finally spoke," You want a throw down? I guarantee that you'll find more satisfaction from that then just sitting there like some sort of starving spider. Besides, It's giving me the creeps. I hate spiders."

Angel snapped," I'm NOT a spider!"

Tristan turned with a smirk," Oh really? Then stop acting like one, it's very rude to act like something you're not."

Angel glared as she stomped towards him, stopping right in front of him," YOU have a lot of nerve after everything you've done!"

"Well… maybe you're right. But I've never met anyone who couldn't live with it."

Charis, entering the room, stopped short and huffed," Angel and Tristan, you both need to shape up!"

Angel protested," But HE'S being a jerk!"

Charis glared at Tristan, who shrugged," I'm not the one who's been sitting for half an hour doing nothing but glaring."

Charis face palmed before she walked out of the room, giving up.

Tristan stretched and stood to his feet, his silver grey eyes looking into Angel's golden ones," Look, Angel, You're right. I made mistakes. But you're gonna have to decide to either like or hate me. Cause whatever you have against me, it's in your head."

Angel glared some more before leaving with a huff.

Tristan continued watching his movie, chuckling," El Diablo…"

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

As Donatello and Leatherhead worked on duplicating the crystal's appearance, Leatherhead, peering into a microscope, finally threw back his head, carefully pounding his fist against the wall, he exclaimed," I could swear I have seen this type of crystal before! I just know it!"

Donatello looked up with a smile," Well, Leatherhead, I wouldn't be surprised. You probably have seen them before… especially since you lived with the U-troms for so long. All that alien technology… Maybe the crystal Kirby had originated from them."

Leatherhead looked at Donatello with a smile," That is along the lines of my hypothesis as well. I cannot help but wonder…"

Donatello only nodded sagely. Neither one of them mentioned Jolene Kirby… for which Leatherhead was very grateful. Something was happening to him.

When he had seen Jolene, tied to a chair, facing a werewolf-like creature with a knife in hand, the sight had drove him mad with both indignation and protectiveness. Ever since, he couldn't help but worry about her. Even though it was now clear that Tristan wished no harm against Jolene… There were plenty of others who did.

And furthermore, she seemed to haunt the doors of his mind, no matter what subject he tried to turn his thoughts to. Her image, sweet, frightened and innocent, could not be driven from his mind. Tana's slight teasing had been unbearable. Because she was absolutely right.

The problem… the problem… Oh there wouldn't be a problem… if only he were human…

Looking at his thick, three-fingered hand with the sharp talons, he gave an inward sigh. Though he was as human as anybody in his mind, he was trapped in the form of a monster. Forever.

What angel would be willingly shackled to such a demonic looking creature?

8~8~8~8~8~8

Chloe lazily sketched on a page, as Alex showed Jolene some basic moves. Tana and Mikey had not yet come back from their midnight run. Charis was getting worried. Raphael, on the other hand, was quite enjoying the quietness, and he demonstrated this by stretching out on the couch where Tristan sat watching the "A-Team".

"Good movie."

"You said it."

"They've probably gotten head over heels into trouble…" Charis worried.

"Or love," Alex grouched," Charis, please, for the love of all that is sacred, please calm down and help me with teaching Jolene!"

Charis mumbled under her breath as she came forward and offered to spar with Jolene. Alex got out the sparring gear they had acquired from April.

Chloe suddenly bolted upright as she squealed," Look! Check out this picture I just drew!"

Alex looked at the picture with approval," Cool doorway."

Jolene looked at her, furrowing her brow," it looks familiar. I remember a picture that my uncle had drawn that had a door that looked exactly like it."

Charis looked at the picture, her brow furrowed," I dig it. Why doesn't your door frame look like that?"

Chloe laughed," Maybe I can pursued Donatello to help me make my doorway like this. I really like it."

The door way was both ornate and yet looked like something from a sci-fi movie. Alien and ancient.

Chloe smiled as she looked at her drawing and went to post it on her wall.

Alex turned back to Jolene," Ok, let's run through that kata again."

8~8~8~8~8~8

Donatello returned from Leatherhead's, well satisfied with himself. He found to his chagrin, that Angel was in a full-fledged fight with Tristan. A verbal fight that was bordering on coming to blows.

Raphael was trying to break them up but wasn't having much success… until Master Splinter stepped in and whacked Tristan and Angel both over the head with his staff.

Looking up at the old rat, who was positively bristling, Splinter demanded," You both have the mindset of toddlers!"

Angel pointed at tristan as she snapped," HE started it!"

Tristan snorted," The hell I did."

Splinter whacked Tristan over the head again. Tristan sighed as he mumbled," Sorry Master Splinter."

Angel had her hands on her hips as Splinter then asked," Who started the fight this time?"

Neither one answered.

Splinter glared suspiciously as Tristan coughed quietly.

Donatello quickly made his way around the war zone and entered the dojo, where Jolene was splayed out on the mat, tired out.

Alex grinned," Hey Donnie. Ol' Joby here's learnin' ta kick butt!"

Don grinned," Well, that's no surprise, she's got an awesome teacher!"

"Who learned from the best," Alex chuckled, her bright amber brown eyes sparkling as she pointed out," You and your bros taught me more then I ever could have learned from a gunman martial artist."

Don chuckled," Don't be so sure, Alex, you're a natural at this stuff."

Chloe and Charis both exchanged a covert look. As strange as it was, Donnie and Alex seemed to have a thing for each other, despite their outrageous differences. Alex was such a hotheaded time bomb and Donatello was… well, a pacifist, to be exact.

Alex only chuckled as Jolene finally sat up and smiled weakly," Hopefully, some day, I'll be a little stronger."

Alex nodded," Right on."

Donatello looked over at Chloe and told her," By the way, Chloe, your brother's getting into a string of fight with Angel. I think you need to intervene before they wear Master Splinter out."

Chloe sighed," Terrific. They have the hots for each other and neither one of them want to admit it is the problem."

Jolene looked up," They do? How can you tell?"

"Angel is easy. She pretends to hate or be indifferent to those she likes. And Tristan… he teases and picks on the girls he's attracted to. So, it's easy to see they like each other," Chloe finished.

She smiled at the dumbfounded expressions on her friends' faces," Hey, I'm an author. I study people. It helps me develop other characters."

Donatello shook his head as he added over his shoulder," We're almost done with the counterfeit crystals. They just need to grow now."

"Yay!" Jolene cheered a little.

As Don walked to his room, he happened to pass by Chloe's room, which she shared with Charis, Alex and Tana. He paused as he took a double take at a picture that was hanging by the door frame. He stared some more. and then, hoarsely, he ran back to the dojo, yelling," CHLOEEEEE!"

She jumped as she yelled back," I DIDN'T DO IT!"

Donatello raised his brow," Chloe… Did you draw that picture by your door frame?"

"You mean the one OF a doorframe? Yes."

"That's Kirby's doorframe!"

"…What?"

"It looks exactly like the doorframe Kirby created!"

Chloe was quiet. She stared at him, her blue eyes wide and her mouth slightly open before hoarsely croaking," What?"

Alex sighed," Donatello, my friend… you snapped her state of sanity. She's now completely lost it."

Chloe glared at Alex as she shook the cobwebs from her mind and spoke," My picture looks like the doorframe Jack Kirby created?"

Donatello just nodded.

Chloe swallowed as she asked," Is anyone else getting the same crazy idea that's now churning in the depths of the chasm in MY head?"

Donatello sighed as he nodded," Most likely."

"What?" Leo entered the dojo at that moment, noting the tension he immediately became serious as he asked," Alright, who got kidnapped this time?"

8~8~8~8~8~8

Tana and Mikey came back home shortly, both looking extremely shy and quiet for some reason. Charis and Alex grinned as Tana sat on the couch, wide-eyed and mystified.

Mikey and Tana were hardly even aware of the debate that was going on at that moment.

"It;s too dangerous. Kirby got trapped in the dimension he created, there's just no safe way of guaranteeing he's even alive!"

"if it was Master Splinter, we'd do it. If it was Charis or Alex, we'd do it. If it was Raph or Mikey, we'd do it-"

"I'm not so sure about Mikey…" Raphael grinned evilly.

"Not helping Raph…" Charis mouthed quietly as Jolene whispered," He was the closest thing to a father that i ever knew."

Splinter now raised his head," We could not call ourselves honorable if we did not do whatever it took to rescue this man. He was a friend to Donatello. This makes him a friend to us all."

Chloe looked at Leo with pleading, puppy eyes. He couldn't resist her when she looked so cute.

"Alright. Chloe, get the crystal from Leatherhead," Leonardo commanded," Raph, Don, go get your equipment. Don, whatever you think will help, bring it."

Chloe nodded," Come on, Jolene, let's go get it!"

Jolene nodded as she stood and went with Chloe. Raph and Don both left to get the equipment. Raphael, to stock on both weapons and what survival gear they had.

Mikey, drawn out of his daydream state, plaintively asked," wait, what are we doing again?"

Splinter looked at his youngest son and sighed slightly, as Tristan, who had been sitting beside Mikey, looked at the confused terrapin," Dude, pay attention! We're doing a rescue in which we may never come back from!"

"Oh… looks like another day in the life," Mikey humphed as he stood up and went to pack.

8~8~8~8~8~8

Jolene asked quietly," Why did you ask me to come with you?"

Chloe responded," Well, I just think you ought to be the one to carry the crystal."

Jolene laughed nervously," I know I do a bit of sketching here and there but really, I'm not that sort of artist. I'm a musician!"

Chloe looked at Jolene with surprise," Really?"

"Yes. I can play the piano, the harp, the guitar, the violin, a little bit of the trombone and saxophone, I know how to drum, play the cello, the flute and-"

"Whoa, whoa, really? You're like your own symphony!" Chloe grinned.

Jolene blushed shyly," Oh, well, I would be but i never had enough money to actually own any of those instruments."

"How did you learn then?"

"Well… I can say that I've never stolen any of my instruments, but i never got them through honest means either," Jolene admitted softly.

Chloe looked at her with an upraised brow.

"It's a long story. I have a knack for fixing said instruments as well. I would learn to play off instruments I was hired to fix. And sometimes, I would, well, cause certain instruments to become in need of fixing just so I could learn to play the instrument," Jolene admitted quietly.

Chloe stared at her for a moment before speaking," You realize what you did was wrong, right?"

"Yes, I do."

Chloe smiled as she spoke," Maybe your Uncle thought you could design your own instruments."

Jolene perked up," You're right… too bad he didn't leave some instructions."

Chloe chuckled as they kept walking. Leatherhead was in the middle of removing the fake crystals from a shelf, smiling as he murmured to himself," Absolutely perfect."

"Leatherhead," Chloe called as she knocked on the door frame softly.

"Oh, come in, Chloe!" Leatherhead called as he placed the crystals on his work table, examining their microscopic structure and comparing it to the real crystal.

"We need Jolene's crystal back," Chloe explained.

Leatherhead looked up at them, noticing Jolene for the first time. He gulped quietly for a moment before speaking," Uh, may i inquire why?"

"Yes. I created a picture that looks exactly like the doorway Jolene's uncle created. I'm going to trace it and we're going to see if we can find her uncle."

Leatherhead looked between the two of them before asking," May I come with you? If there is any way I can lend my assistance-"

"Sure Leatherhead! Tana and Mikey seem to have suddenly become fascinated with each other, so I doubt you'll need to worry about being teased by either one of them," Chloe chuckled.

Leatherhead blushed but neither Jolene nor Chloe noticed it as he packed the fake crystals, handing the real one to Chloe.

"Let's go!" Chloe cheered.

8~8~8~8~8~8

Angel grumbled quietly as she left the Lair. Her grandmother had called her and said it was time for her to go home. Angel kicked a can as she mumbled," That Tristan… I hate him! He's such a jerk!"

A very handsome jerk….

Please, he's not even human!

But… he sure is hot.

NO! This is stupid! Why am i even talking about this?

Because it's very obviously on your mind.

Shut up….

Angel grumbled aloud," I'm losing it."

As she walked, she didn't notice that she was being shadowed. By several men, dressed in nice suits…

8~8~8~8~8~8~

Chloe set the drawing up by the wall and gently, began to trace it. Gently and meticulously, she ran the pencil's tip over the original lines, lovingly darkening the look and adding nothing. She breathed as she completed the trace and stepped back.

Slowly, the picture trembled and slowly, the door frame seemed to grow, erecting itself into the wall as it grew bigger, popping off the page. The frame was beautiful but the door itself was not solid. glittering pink and purple light shimmered from post to post.

Chloe smiled proudly," I call it, "Doorway To Dreams."

At this moment, Casey burst into the Lair. His eyes were wide and panicked as he gasped," Guys! it's Angel! Bishop's got her!"

Chloe whispered in shock," What?"

Tristan stiffened as he growled low," That dirty son of a-"

"What do we do now?" Alex asked, cutting off Tristan's dirty phrase.

Tana nodded," We can't leave Angel in his hands! No telling what that creep will do to her!"

Raph growled," That conniving son of a-"

Leo cut off the obscenity this time," There's nothing to be done. We have to go and rescue Angel. Jack Kirby is going to have to wait."

Jolene blurted," I can't!"

They all looked at the young woman, who shivered under their gaze but again protested," I can't leave him! Even though Angel has proved a friend, I have to find my Uncle. I didn't come this far to just stop."

There was silence. The tmnt knew that Jolene was right, but they couldn't help her and they certainly couldn't let her rescue her uncle on her own.

"Now what?" Alex grumbled.

"I'll go with Jolene."

They all looked at Leatherhead. His gaze was firm as he spoke," I have about as much knowledge as Donatello has. And you will need Donatello's help in rescuing Angel. Let me help Jolene."

Leonardo looked at Jolene, who stared back at Leatherhead," I… I would be in your debt, sir."

Chloe sighed as she put a hand to her forehead," Bishop has perfect timing."

Leo looked at his family and friends, torn. He finally decided," it's settled then. Leatherhead and Jolene will stay here to search for Kirby. The rest of us will go and rescue Angel from Bishop. Any objections?"

There were none. Alex, Tana and Charis left the room, as did Mikey, Donnie, Casey and Raph. Leo spoke," Good luck, you two," Before leaving.

Leatherhead looked at the doorframe, not without trepidation. Chloe handed Jolene the crystal and pencil, along with a sketchpad," just in case… besides, Bishop will find it hard to find this crystal if you take it to an alternate dimension."

Jolene nodded solemnly. Chloe quickly followed the other team.

Looking up at Leatherhead, Jolene asked," Are you ready?"

In response, Leatherhead hunched down and walked through the doorframe. Jolene followed him. There was no one left in the Lair… except for the glowing doorway.

Yes, this is the last chapter of this story. But I'm going to continue it in another story. So if you've been reading this, be on the look out for the sequel! We'll find out what happens to Jolene and Leatherhead. And we'll also see what exactly Bishop has planned for Angel.

Thank you for reading and reviewing!