For those of you who are following "Story for Chloe", I promise that I will get back to it eventually, but right now I am obsessed with "Mourning". I am on a roll here, XD LOL!

And I am greatly saddened to find out that Season 5 will be the last season for TMNT :'(

She stepped into the lair for the first time in thirty years. Not much has changed. In fact, nothing has changed since she was last here. Everything, including the pinball machine and punching dummy, was still in place. She wondered…

April walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer. Sadly, there was no Ice Cream Kitty to greet her, only ice cream and other frozen products.

She suddenly felt someone breathing on her neck and slowly turned her head. Two very large purple eyes were staring into her blue ones. Before she could run, the mysterious figure pounced on her, pinning her to the floor. She was about to scream when she realized who her "attacker" really was.

"Chompy?"

Chompy, Raph's pet space turtle, had certainly grown a lot bigger over the years. He was about the size of a hippopotamus, his spikes were now larger and more jagged, and had very sharp, pointy teeth.

And he was licking April's face like crazy.

"Uck!" April spat as slobber got into her mouth. "Chom…Chompy! Quit it! I'm happy to see you, too, but please get off!"

She heard someone whistle and the giant turtle immediately got off of her. A woman wearing a black leather dress and a Japanese hair bun stood over her. She wore blue eyeliner and deep rosy red lipstick.

She offered her hand to April and smiled down at her. "Good to see you again, April."

April smiled as she took the woman's hand and got back on her feet. "It's good to see you, too, Karai. Uh, I mean, Miwa?"

"It's okay," Karai chuckled. "I don't mind being called 'Karai'."

"So…where is he?"

"In the dojo. Come on."

The elderly rat sat in front of the tree, his back facing April as she quietly walked into her old training room. He didn't even seem to notice her presence, so she whispered, "Master Splinter?"

An ear twitched and he quickly turned his head. The dark brown fur that once covered his face had become grey with age and there were bags under his eyes. His cheeks had lost their fat and sunken in. He looked so frail and worn that it broke April's heart, and she immediately wrapped her old Sensei in a warm hug.

"April?" the rat's voice sounded raspy and his shaking hands reached up to touch her back.

The former student looked behind Splinter and saw a photo of Mikey standing in between two lit candles on the floor. The shredded remains of his orange mask lay at the bottom of a porcelain bowl. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she realized that he was mediating in front of an altar dedicated to his lost son.

She buried her face in his shoulder and soothingly rubbed his back.

"He's always in front of that altar," Karai sighed as she poured April some tea. "Every day, from dawn to dusk. He hardly eats and he cries in his sleep every night. He's slowly killing himself with guilt and regret, and he doesn't have much time left."

"And you want to bring the Turtles back to the lair before it's too late," April finished for her. "I understand. But, listen, Karai, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to get Leo involved."

"Why not?"

"Well, he took Splinter's decision the hardest, and I have a suspicion that he's been committing…terrible acts lately. Particularly, and this isn't easy for me to say…murder."

Karai stared at April for a moment before looking down at her cup with a somber expression. "Yeah, I've been suspecting that, too."

April's eyes widened in shock. "Really?"

Karai nodded and took a sip of her tea. "They keep talking about this 'Serpent' vigilante on the news, and their description of him…it breaks my heart to think that Leo would do such horrible things, but at the same time it doesn't surprise me." She looked up at April with her sad brown eyes. "He had always looked up to Splinter as a role model, but after watching Mikey die, his whole world completely shattered, as did his faith in his father. But despite everything that had happened, he won't harm Splinter."

"How can you be so sure of that?" April asked nervously.

"Because when Father offered him the chance to kill him, he didn't take it," Karai said softly.

For a moment April forgot how to breathe. Splinter was willing to let Leo kill him? "Did," she swallowed a lump in her throat before continuing, "did he ever try to hurt himself afterwards?"

"Twice," Karai said. "The first time he tried to commit seppuku in the dojo, only two days after that fateful night. Five years later, he went to the surface and attempted to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge." She stopped for a moment and buried her head in her hands. "April, I was afraid to leave the lair for twenty years because of his suicidal thoughts. I didn't want to lose the only family I had left." She then proceeded to cry in front of April, who put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"I'm so sorry, Karai," April whispered to her.

Karai eventually calmed down and wiped her tears away. "Anyway," she sniffled, "Even though his sons might still hate him, just seeing them again would be enough and he'll finally be at peace with himself."

"Well, I've been doing some research," April pulled a laptop from out of her bag, "and I think I know where to find Donnie and Raph." She continued to speak as she typed on the keyboard. "You know those new MetalCops that Morph Enterprises produced a few months ago? Well, I've noticed how similar they are to Metalhead, one of Donnie's past inventions. Look at the comparison."

April turned the laptop, revealing the picture of a MetalCop on the screen. She then held up an old photo of Metalhead and showed it to Karai.

"I'm pretty sure that he invented those robots, himself, and if my theory is correct, then we should find him at Morph Enterprises. As for Raph, after Mikey's funeral, he ran off into the woods of North Hampton and we haven't seen or heard from him since. But you know the "Green Man" from the news? The mysterious green creature that's just as famous as Bigfoot? I think he and Raph are in, fact, the same person."

"What about Leo?" Karai asked quietly.

"If anyone can find him," April smirked at her, "it's you, Karai. Casey will go look for Raph in North Hampton, while I go see Donnie at Morph Enterprises."

"And if they all say 'no'?"

April sighed. "Then at least we will have tried."

"Right," Karai nodded and sighed as well, rubbing her temples. Chompy, sensing her master's distress, stomped into the kitchen and nuzzled her comfortingly. Karai responded by wrapping her arms around his large neck.

The reporter smiled, moved by this touching moment. She then looked at the refrigerator, reminded once again of Mikey's beloved pet cat. "Karai, what happened to Ice Cream Kitty? Did she melt?"

"I'm afraid she did," Karai patted Chompy on the head with a somber expression. "Three days after Mikey died, she crawled out of the freezer and searched for him throughout the lair. By the time I found her, she had already melted into a puddle. She died looking for her master."

April took in a shaky breath and willed herself not to cry.

"Hey, Karai, is…is it okay if I go into Mikey's old bedroom?"

"Are you sure you want to do this, Red?"

Casey and April stood in front of their van the next morning, the former getting ready to drive down to North Hampton to look for Raph.

"I mean," Casey gently put his hands on April's shoulders, "They might not even agree to this. And from what I heard, the security at Morph Enterprises is pretty tight."

"Casey," April winked at her husband, "you're forgetting that I have psychic powers."

"Oh, right," Casey smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "And if Donnie says no, you can just hypnotize him into coming with you, right?"

"That's not how it works, Casey," she rolled her eyes at him.

"I know, honey," Casey chuckled. "I was just kidding. But seriously, what if he refuses?"

"I can't force him to go," April said somberly. "And if he does refuse, then we'll have to do this, with or without him."

"Well, I'll try to find Raph and talk to him," Casey said. "But I'm not making any promises."

"Just do your best, honey," April said as she caressed his cheek. "And by the way, be sure to give this to Raph when you do find him." She handed him a package wrapped in brown paper.

"What is it?" Casey asked as he observed the object in his hands.

"Don't ask questions," April replied. "Just make sure that he gets it."

Casey raised an eyebrow at his wife but shrugged and put the mysterious package in the passenger seat.

"Casey?"

Her husband turned to look at her. She took his hand and rubbed it with her thumb.

"Please be careful."

Casey nodded and pulled her into a hug. After they embraced, they kissed passionately before the hockey coach got into his van and backed out of the driveway.

April watched him drive away before hopping into her own car. She turned the ignition key and started the engine. She took a moment to look at her reflection in the review mirror.

She was really doing this. After thirty long years, she was going to reunite with the Turtles.

Please, God…please let this work.

She took a deep breath and put the car in reverse.

Will the plan work? Will Leo, Raph, and Donnie agree to come back? To be continued...0^0