A/N: Yes, this is the final chapter and its a bit short. I hope you guys like it!
As they stepped into the living room a collective gasp swept the group. There was literally nothing left except for a three inch layer of sludge and slime on the floor. Sarah slowly crossed the space, Donnie's arm wrapped supportively around her. Tears filled her eyes as she looked on their bedroom. The mattress was half on the floor half on the wall. The wooden bed frame was mostly gone except for a few pieces of splintered wood. The dresser and side tables were gone. The beautiful dressing screen Leo had painted for her was twisted and barely recognizable, the screen itself gone leaving only a hunk of metal.
Donnie looked down at his wife as he felt the sadness well in her heart. He lifted her chin. "It'll be okay."
She nodded. "I know, it's just..."
He pressed a kiss into her hair as he pulled her into his chest. "I know. I know."
Raph and Cat stood in their bedroom doorway, staring at the empty space. The far wall, which had been the original entrance into the chamber, had been reopened by the water. Cat looked up at her spouse with a frown, unshed tears filled her eyes. Raph pulled her into fierce hug. "Shh..."
She wrapped her arms around him burying her face in his shoulder. The tears slipped silently from her eyes as he held her trembling form tightly. He could feel her grief at the loss of yet another home.
Leo and Mikey stood in the main section of their shared bedroom. Not even the mattresses remained. The room had been swept clean; every evidence that they had once lived there gone. Mikey swiped at his eyes and Leo wrapped an arm around his shoulders. The brothers stood silently in the space, until Splinter stepped up beside them.
His own brown eyes were sad. His things had been swept away too, leaving nothing but muck in its place. He took a deep breath. "The important thing is we are all together and safe." He placed a warm hand on his youngest son's arm as Raph and Cat joined them.
The two looked just as distraught as they did. A little wail echoed off the walls and they all trudged into the living room to find Mira crying. Her parents were doing their best to sooth her, but the tot continued to cry. Mikey glanced around the door into her room, if it could be called that now. The once cozy chamber was now a gapping hole that led right into the sewer tunnel beyond. Nothing indicated she had ever occupied the space. He understood how she felt as it was the only home they'd ever known and now it was basically destroyed.
He turned and stroked her shell. "It's okay, dudette. We'll get you some more toys."
The little turtle lifted her face from Donnie's neck ever so slightly, tears still streaming her little cheeks. She sniffled and looked to her father for confirmation. "Really?"
Donnie nodded. "Yes, really."
"Yeah, maybe even better ones." Raph crossed his arms. He hated it when Mira cried. He really wanted to pound something right now but there wasn't anything. The only things left in the dojo were the weights.
Mikey sighed. He'd seen enough and really didn't want to see any more. "Why don't we go wait in the van? I'll read you one of my comic books." Mira nodded slowly and Donnie slipped her into his arms.
As they left, Donnie turned towards his lab. He was truly dreading going in there. After seeing the bedroom, he had a rough idea of what he might find - a lot of destruction. Sarah's warm hand wrapped around his. He glanced down at her as he felt her concern and love for him come to the surface. He sighed. "Might as well get this over with." They walked hand in hand into the doorway.
His heart dropped at the sight before him. The room that once held the most technically advanced gear, the best and worst of his inventions, decades of sweat and blood was gone. The only things that remained were two heavy console computers. But they were too badly damaged to do much with. After sitting in salt water and who knows what else for four days, the internal components were likely ruined beyond use.
His legs trembled. "I can't believe it. It's all gone - all my books, research, notes. Everything. All I have left are the backups I took to the garage." Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist and for a split second supported his weight until pain shot through her body. He immediately lifted himself off her and looked down at her with concern. But the eyes that met his only held sympathy for his loss. They stared at one another for a long moment before Splinter spoke behind them.
"I think it would be wise to join Michelangelo in the van in order to discuss what we want to do from here." They all nodded solemnly and followed their father back to the van.
Mikey was settled in the back on the floor, Mira nestled beside him reading a comic. They each wiped their feet of the slime before stepping in and finding a place to sit. Leo sighed. "Well, Donnie, how long do you think it'll take to fix the place back up?"
Donnie took a deep breath. "I won't lie guys, it'll take some time. It'll almost be like starting from scratch. Some of the wiring is still there, but how good it is, I just don't know."
"I guess that means back to the shop." Mikey frowned. The shop was spacious enough but it didn't feel like home.
Raph rubbed his chin. "What about the subbasement of the garage?"
Leo tilted his head at his brother. "What about it?"
"Well, if it's going to be like starting all over, why don't we rebuild there? No one should bother us and it'd be a lot closer to Cat in case there was trouble."
Donnie frowned. "Not that, that's not a good idea, Raph, but we haven't taken a good look at the subbasement since the storm. So, I don't know how good of shape it's in."
"Well, one thing is for sure, we aren't sleeping here tonight." Leo said with a frown.
"I agree, but the slider should stay. It draws too much attention topside." Cat pointed out.
"Or you guys could ride it back through the sewers to the garage. It'd give you a chance to check out how bad things are between here and there." Sarah suggested looking up at her spouse.
Donnie made the face he normally did when she suggested going to the surface without him, a deep frown. It didn't matter that it had been many years since her life had last been in danger he still would never like it. He looked around at his brothers. "Alright, Mikey, you come with me. We'll meet you guys there in about twenty minutes." He squeezed Sarah's hand as he rose and she nodded, giving him the same silent promise she always did. Mira crawled to her mother's side and she kissed her little round head. Mira yawned; it had already been a tiring day for the toddler.
Raph and Cat moved further inside and closed the back door, while Leo climbed into the driver's seat again. He waited for the slider to pull around him and move off into a tunnel before backing up. He tried the button to pull down the gate but it still didn't want to cooperate. "I'll get the gate." Raph stepped out and used the crank to close it behind them.
Traffic was still rather thin, though the city was slowly coming back to life. Most of the streetlights were working and the looting had stopped as the cops were making patrols again. At last they pulled through the yard and around the building to park the van in back. Raph took up Mira while Leo offered Sarah his arm. She was actually moving a lot better now and it only hurt when she moved certain ways. Cat hurried ahead of the group to unlock small back door, while Splinter brought up the rear.
As they entered, Mira yawned again and cuddled Mikey's old teddy, one of her few remaining toys now. Sarah patted her daughter's head. "I think it's time for bed."
Mira pouted a little. "But I'm not tired."
Sarah smiled. "Yes, you are."
Mira's eyes began to close and she cuddled into her uncle. "No, I'm not."
Both Raph and Sarah chuckled lightly. Sarah gestured to the storeroom where the cots were still set up. She was still unable to carry the growing toddler. Raph followed her into the room and laid her on the cot. He covered her gently and smiled warmly. Sarah smiled too. "Thanks."
"No problem."
Sarah glanced over her shoulder to be sure they were alone. "You'd have made a great father."
Raph blushed. "Nah, Cat's probably right. Me and her are little too temperamental to raise kids."
Sarah shook her head. "I don't think that's true, Raph. I think you'd both do very well. But I know she's not keen on the idea."
He sighed and patted Mira gently on her shell. "Yeah, but this little angel is enough."
She smiled, leaning on his arm and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Let's go see if the basement is move-in ready."
He chuckled as he helped her out of the room. The others were already standing with the elevator doors open. Raph gave Cat a small smile as they joined them. As the doors closed, the elevator gave a little groan and began its decent. They were soon stepping out into the subbasement. Turning on their flashlights they took a look around. Leo noted with some surprise how large the space truly was. It spanned the length and width of the garage easily and perhaps a bit more. And the space was not cluttered by pipes. The garage only required water and electricity. Cat had decided not to run gas to heat the place. She felt it might start another fire. So the mains were still there for gas, but remained locked.
Sarah noticed that it would be extremely easy to hook into the water and lights above. Though they'd never mentioned it, she knew the guys always felt a little bad about siphoning electricity and water from the city. This way they'd all feel better.
Raph and Cat were exploring the area. They had already realized it would be simple to put up some walls and section off the large space. Thus they were searching for the best place for their room.
The hum of the slider drew Sarah and Splinter to the tunnel that ended beside the elevator. A moment later the vehicle appeared. Mikey hopped out while Donnie shut off the engine. "Sorry we took so long. There were a few tunnels that were blocked off by debris. But all in all it wasn't too bad."
He climbed down and they all began to inspect the area. Even here there was still a thick layer of sludge on the floor but it would be by far easier to clean than the lair. After a while they regrouped near the elevator. "Well, Raph, I got to say this isn't a half bad idea." Donnie smiled at his brother.
Raph took the bait with a smirk. "You ain't the only smart one around, you know?"
Mikey grinned. "I've only got two questions. Does this mean I get my own room?"
They all laughed. "Sure, Mikey." Donnie answered at last.
"Good. And can Leo's room be on the other side of the lair?"
Leo snorted at his youngest brother. "Hey!"
Their laughter lasted longer this time and Raph grinned wide as he wrapped an arm around his baby brother's shoulders. "I think we are all with you there, bro."
A/N: LOL, poor Leo. He must snore awfully bad!