(So, this is the last chapter. There is just the epilogue to tie things up in a nice little bow. Thanks everyone for sticking with me for the last nine or so years so that I could finish this. Thanks to Machi for the encouragement and without further ado, here's the dramatic or not-so-dramatic conclusion)

Raphael and Michelangelo stood back to back fending off the swarm of Foot Soldiers that had descended onto the roof. The three brothers had originally formed a triangle, but the more soldiers that attacked, the more they were able to push Leonardo away from the group. Or more accurately, Leonardo allowed himself to be pushed away. In the thick of battle, Leo naturally fell into a more comfortable role as leader. It was better for Mike and Raph to stay back to back, then allow one of them to be pushed away. This wasn't a knock against their fighting abilities, but a concession to the longer reach of Leo's ninjaken. The more room to swing, the better Leonardo could plan his attack. At least, that's what the leader told himself. Capturing or killing Hamato Splinter's number one son was also a prize to be won by the hoard of soldiers. Therefore, an unlikely number of them moved away from the other two in order to gain the advantage on Leo.

That didn't mean that Mike and Raph were able to break away to assist. Every time Raphael thought to leap over the fray to help Leonardo, he was met by more than his fair share of Foot Soldiers to stop him. He also knew that Leonardo would have his shell if he left Michelangelo alone. Mike was a capable fighter, a great fighter, but that didn't mean shit to his brothers, especially not to Leo. Raph knew the reason Leo was allowing himself to be driven back.

Leo, you egotistical, suicidal, son of a bitch! You aint got no right to pull this martyr shit right now. You don't know they got Don, and even if they did, ain't like they'll take you to him.

And more soldiers just kept coming to the fight. Word must've gone out that the turtles were cornered and down a man. For some insane reason, the Hamatos were not willing to flee.

"These guys multiply like rabbits!" Mike yelled, leaping to his left to kick at the head of an unfortunate ninja. He nearly cut left to avoid being sliced by a kama, but his peripheral told him that to step left would leave Raphael open to the blow. The youngest turtle and defacto leader used the chain of one of his nunchucks to wrap around the wrist of the attacker, and yanked hard. The kama changed direction and a nearby Foot member, not as concerned about his whereabouts in relation to his comrades, took the hit.

Raph spun low to the kama wielder and jammed the hilt of his sai into the guy's groin. "Then let's neuter'em."

"I don't think you neuter rabbits," Mike mused, automatically switching places with his brother to get the guys attacking Raphael from behind. "But that's not the kind of thing they talk about on Bugs Bunny."

"Jeez, Mikey. Do you get all your info from old ass cartoons?" Raphael fought off two that came at him at once. "We gotta get to Leo. I can't even fuckin see him anymore."

Mike slid smoothly to the ground and grabbed the leg of one of the soldiers. He threw him into another and hopped up on top of the two men. "I see him. He's over there." A bo came swinging at his feet and he jumped over it, back flipping to the ground. One of the men he was standing on had been trying to straighten up and took the back swing to the side of the head.

"Can we get to him?" Raphael asked, blocking a sword with his sai, while kicking the sword wielder in to stomach. His brother rejoined him and kicked the guy from behind and away from Raph.

"Not without a bulldozer," Mike said reluctantly. "And do you seriously watch television shows about rabbits being neutered? Cuz, I gotta tell you. That offends my sensitivities as a man."

Raph growled quietly ignoring the fatigue he was feeling. The growl welled up in him from seeing one of those damn soldiers nearly hitting Mike. Only his brother's quick reflexes kept head and body together. No one tried to take Mike's head off but him. "First of all, you ain't a man. And second, stop talkin about rabbit nuts!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Splinter heard the sounds of the fight before he could actually see it. Frustrated, he increased his pace even more. The first thing he was going to do when all of this was over was have Donatello show him how to use the infernal GPS. It should not have taken him so long to find his sons. A master of ninjutsu should not be so tripped up by modern technology. This part of town was largely abandoned this time of night, therefore he knew it was a perfect place for his sons to run and release pent up energies. However, it seemed the Foot had staked out this side of town for some reason known only to them. He didn't think his sons would purposely run into this battle if they could avoid it. They were grossly outnumbered.

The ninja master had trouble seeing his sons in the sea of black uniforms, but at the edge of the building he could make out the blue bandana of his eldest. Leonardo had been cut off from his brothers and was being driven back even further. His son, with some effort, could have forced himself forward, but for some reason was not doing so. Splinter crossed the distance between himself and the battle quickly before leaping in beside Leonardo. Using his walking stick to disarm the nearest soldier, he grabbed the fallen man's katana to use himself.

If Leo was shocked to find himself aided suddenly by his father, he didn't show it. It was almost as if mutant rats dropped in from the sky like Superman all the time. "Sensei, they have Don!"

Thy why of everything clicked with Splinter and he shook his head. "Donatello is at home. Come. We must get to your brothers and retreat."

Leonardo didn't bother asking for information or clarification. Don was safe and that was all that mattered. In the back of his mind, he was completely confused, and later, there would be a demand for an explanation. For the moment, he hurried to comply with his father's request and began to drive forward.

On the opposite side of the building, Mike and Raph could sense the shift in the fight, even if they couldn't determine the reason for it. It wasn't that their fight was getting easier, but quite the opposite. More soldiers seemed to be moving their way. Mike grabbed Raph's arm and yanked him up onto a ledge to gain the higher ground. This also served the purpose of being able to see where their brother was without resorting to the human step ladder he'd used earlier.

Mike scanned the crowd while Raph fought the ninja around them. His whoop of excitement momentarily startled Raphael. "Bulldozer, thy name is Splinter."

Raph looked up at his brother, followed Mike's gaze and then smirked. "Well I'll be damned."

"And you said he was gettin old."

The brothers left their vantage point to push forward toward their brother and Sensei. When the family met in the middle, they automatically stood back to back with Splinter taking Donatello's customary position.

"Sensei said that Don is safe at home. We're getting out of here." Leo watched the Foot Soldiers warily. The group seemed more reluctant to attack the turtles now that their teacher was also involved.

"I do believe that's MY decision to make, Leo," Mike reminded them. A hand connected with the back of his head and Mike yelped. "Raph! We talked about this!"

Raph snorted. "I didn't do it. Splinter did."

Mike spared a sheepish look over his shoulder at his father. "Well, I mean, since Sensei is here, it's obviously his decision to make."

"Obviously," Splinter said, dryly. He took a quick inventory of his sons and the injuries they had already sustained. "We are going. Now."

At his word, the three brothers launched themselves into one direction, fighting back anyone who got in their way. It was easier to fight when they had a single goal in mind. Retreat. They reached the edge of the building and leaped to the next, leading their pursuers in a chase across the rooftops.

"We don't even know what they were doing on that side of town!" Raph did not like to retreat. Don was safe at home, Splinter was there to help even the odds. They could kick ass and take names.

"We're not in a position right now to do anything, Raph," Leo said, running beside him. "This isn't over. But let's regroup first. And besides, I want to know where the hell Don disappeared to and if he's ok."

Mike slowed his pace a bit. "Less talky, more runny, Boys. You're letting Sensei get ahead of you."

Raph looked at Mike and then at Leo. "I never thought I would say this. But I can't wait until Splinter fires his ass as leader and we get you back."

"He hasn't been that bad," Leo said, sympathetically. Mike had reminded him a bit of himself when he was younger. At that age, he hadn't quite understood the difference between bossing his brothers around, and being a leader to them. It was only when he and Raph had nearly been killed by that crocodile in the sewers that Leo had begun to fully appreciate the responsibility. That was one of the last times he and Raph had one of their crazy adventures that seemed to have filled their youth. Going from his cohort to Raphael's second parent been jarring for both of them.

It had felt good to be able to step back for a day and see things from a different perspective. He watched how Donatello and Mike had interacted with each other today. How Mike's well-meaning, but obnoxious leadership had driven Don insane. Was he really that annoying to Raphael? Maybe he had been without meaning to be. Maybe after this, he could spend some time relearning how to just be a brother.

Mike broke into Leo's thoughts with more encouragement. "If you guys can catch up to me, I'll give you a cookie when we get home."

Raph eyes narrowed and he looked at Leo again.

Leo shrugged. "Tomorrow we super glue his mouth shut."

Once he was fairly certain they had left the soldiers behind, Splinter lead the boys to the ground level. Mike held the manhole cover for them and dropped down into the sewers behind his family with another whoop.

"That was so awesome! Those Foot Soldiers didn't know what hit them. Then we were like winged fury, getting out of there, leaving them in our dust..."

"Hush, Michelangelo," Splinter hissed. "We must remain silent." This he said, not only because as ninja their role was to move stealthily, but because the boy's babbling was giving him a headache.

Quietly, Leo whispered as he turned toward one of the tunnels. "We should still take a circular route home. Just in case..."

The sound of foot steps and splashing drew their attention down further into the tunnel. The four mutants tensed and drew their weapons again. They waited, silently melting into the shadows until the steps became louder and closer. Splinter was the first to notice the faint smell of rum and coke mixed with toothpaste and soap. An odd combination to be sure, but mixed with another more familiar smell, it meant the foot steps belonged to one being.

"Donatello."

At the sound of his name, Don gave an undignified, but short, yelp of surprise.

"Donnie!" Mike leaped from his hiding spot and hugged his brother. "You're alive! Where were you? Your breath stinks." Mike took a few steps back, waving a hand in front of his beak.

Don looked relieved at seeing his family, but only for a moment. He caught the look that everyone was giving him, and he shrank back on himself a little. "I...um..." He looked at Splinter, feeling he should explain his presence to his father first. "I thought you might need my help."

Raph punched him hard on the arm, causing another short yelp of surprise from Don. "Asshole. We thought the Foot had you."

"Yeh, where were you, Donnie? How did you get separated from us?" Leo was more worried that he somehow didn't notice his brother had been left behind. However, there was a guilty look from Don that told Leo it may have been on purpose on the part of his brother.

Splinter held up a hand to put a stop to the interrogation. "Later. We have much to discuss, once we are home."

Don looked at his father gratefully, and nodded. He did have a lot to explain, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Looking at his brothers, he could tell it was the least he owed them. Something happened, and he wasn't quite sure what. Part of him wasn't sure that he wanted to know. He followed his family through the darkened tunnels, wrapped up in his own thoughts. Maybe it was the combination of guilt, preoccupation and alcohol that caused him to walk right into Mike's shell.

"Aw man," Mike complained. "I thought we left you guys miles away."

Don looked to see that there were about five Foot Soldiers on the other side of the sewer stream.

"As if we don't have enough shit in the sewers," Raph grumbled. He wasn't really upset. Now, he could repay them for forcing their retreat earlier.

The stand off continued for all of thirty seconds before the Foot made their move. With a yell, the five men rushed to leap the stream to take on the mutant family. Their attack was halted suddenly. Not by the turtles or their father, but the sound of an alarm, followed by a wave of foul smelling liquid pouring from the ceiling. The sudden rush of water and waste crashed down over the five Foot Soldiers, washing them into the sewer stream.

"Looks like Raph's security system works," Mike laughed.

There were sounds of gagging and shouting as the now filthy ninjas attempted to swim back to the ledge. By the time the wave stopped, and the soldiers were able to wipe their eyes, the five mutants were gone.