Don was standing on a pipe over the water vortex, that they always had avoided to fall into. He was crying and thinking to himself; maybe I should just end it here and now, I mean it's not like they are coming after me or missing me...I can't believe they only threw me out and not Raph too...hmp I guess Raph must have promised to never do that again to anybody...I still can't believe father saw us and said and did nothing...father must have talked to Raph alone like he did with me.
``Guess I might as well get it over with'' Don said with tears rolling down his cheeks, while getting ready to jump down into the vortex.
Splinter had taken Don's weapon, bandana and gear from him, before Don left with nothing on or in his hands. Don had left their home completely naked.
Don let himself fall down into the vortex, head first, he didn't fight the current. The current took Don down and down for several minutes without and end in sight. Then suddenly the current went from vertical to horizontal, and shortly after it turned to the right, then down for a few minutes, then the current change again this time a little to the left, but more down going at a 38-degree angle, was Don's guess. Suddenly the current shot him out into an underground cave room.
He landed in the water where he began to swim up to the surface for air. When he got up, he saw that there was nobody there but him, so it was safe to get out of the water.
After he got up on land, he sat down for a little break, while he did that he started to look around, he wanted to find a way out of there, but then a thought came into his mind. Wait, why do I need to leave? This place seems safe and hard to find. It would be the perfect place to make myself a new home. Home hmm...NO, this IS my home now and it needs a lot of work, before I can rest and make myself a new daily routine, ``better get started now and rest later'' Don said to himself.
Don started by taking a walk around, to find out as much as possible about the new place. When he made it back to where he started, he knew what to do with the place, now he just had to find out how. That was going to be a problem since there wasn't a dry way to get out, which meant that he would have to make one first.
He chose a spot next to the waterfall, where he had come out. There he started to dig with a somewhat flat rock. He knew he had to dig at an angle, but he also knew that if he did that, he might make the place easier to find, and that was out of the question. So, he took the chance and dug a vertical tunnel, he kept going until he couldn't dig any further.
When a soft beam of light came through the tunnel, he stopped and listen for trouble, but when he heard nothing, he dug the hole a little bigger, so that his head could fit through it. As soon as he could, he took a look around, and saw that he was inside an old building, that was no longer in use. Perfect, was the only word he thought, before finishing the opening of the tunnel.
He took a short break, before he went to look for the things and material, that he needed to make his new home livable for him. While he was resting, he saw that it was almost night time, because the sun was going down. Which was perfect for what he was going to be doing.
First, he found the things needed for stabling the tunnel all the way down, then the things to make an elevator. When he was done with that, he went to look for what he needed to make the first part of his new home.
He needed to make some kind of base structure, so that he would have a safe and strong base to build on.
After a quick look around the neighborhood, he found out that none of the buildings were being used at all. That made it easy for him, to take the materials he needed from the different buildings without anybody knowing it.
When he was done with the base structure of his home, he began to make a power system, a water cleaning system and an air circulation system.
The more he made, the more the place took shape, it was starting to look like a giant turtle shell, that was because one day a piece of rock fell down and almost hit him, so to be safe from that, he had decided to make a closed home, that would fill as much of the cave as possible, which was about a quarter of Manhattan above.
Don had finally finished the whole structure, the power system, the water system and air system. Now it was time for the sky system on the inside, that way he could see when it was day and night top side.
He started by making the panels, that would show the sky, sun, moon and stars. When that was done, he started to make the system, that would control the whole sky.
The next thing he needed to do, was fill up the different aeras with earth, so he could have different plants. That way he would be self-sufficient and would rarely need to go top side. This was an idea that he liked a lot, especially after he became alone and no longer had his brothers to watch his back.
Now he needed to make himself a house, then a workshop, a lab, a chicken coop, a few pens for farming animals. When he was done with his house, and went to take a bath for the first time in his new bathroom, he filled the bathtub and got in, just as he was going to relax a pain shot through him, he by instinct turned onto all four and began to push, after pushing four times the pain stopped.
``What the shell?!'' Don almost yelled to himself while looking down between his legs, ``One, two, three, four...FOUR EGGS!'' he said and yelled with shook all over his face ...Raph, you gave me four eggs...wait did you know about this, before me? No, he couldn't know before me...could he? he thought to himself while getting out of the tub and cleaning himself.
``Never mind little ones I will take care of you'' he said while taking the eggs, with gentle hands, out of the tub and drying them off one by one, before putting them in a clean towel. But then he remembered that he doesn't have an incubator to help him.
Wait I can use the crate and I got the sand, he thought while taking the eggs into his bedroom. Don got a wooden crate empty and put sand in it halfway up, then the eggs which he gently covered lightly with the sand. Just like in nature...I think, ``I hope this works'' he thought and said a bit nervously.
He made sure to wright everything down, like day, time, size, weight, smell and what he did to them. Hmm I wonder how they will turn out, if I put them in a different kind of incubator...well maybe next time, he thought with a smile that turned into a yawn, okay, time for bed, was the last thought he had, because as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out from exhaustion.
The next day Don woke up and checked on the eggs, before he went back to work. Work that he now had to finish before the eggs hatched. Since he didn't know when the eggs would hatch, he had no idea about how much time he would have. Therefor he got the important things done first.
After 5 days the chicken coop and enclosure, and the 6 pens were done and ready for the animals. The next 8 days were used on the two greenhouses, one for natural medicine and one for spices. Next 4 days were the farming fields for grain, fruits, vegetables and cotton. Now it was time to go top side to get all the different plants and animals.
Don checked on the eggs before he went top side, the eggs were doing good and that made him smile. He went top side by help of the elevator he had made. As always, he made sure the coast was clear, every step of the way, he had to since he was alone.
The first stop was a grocery store, where he took two of each kind of fruits and vegetables, but only one bag of each kind of seeds, that could be used to grow a new plant. He was in and out before anybody or anything notice him.
With a full box and two full duffle bags he went home, carefully checking along the way if the coast was clear, before moving the next section of the way. The first thing he did after he got home was to check on the eggs, after finding out they were still doing good, he went back to work.
He planted everything where he wanted them to grow, the fruit seeds, then the vegetables seeds and then the seeds from the bags. The fruits and vegetables that could be planted whole, was the ones he did that with, the rest he took the seeds out and planted them, then the rest he would eat, if possible.
The next trip came after 13 days of planting. This trip went to a storage building and a gardener store, where he could get almost all the plants that he was missing, but cotton that he had to get somewhere else. With a full load again he went home, checking along the way for a clear coast.
Again, as soon as he was home, he would check up on the eggs, before going out to plant the seeds and plants.
Don had found out where to get the cotton seeds, and just his luck it was close to where he was going to get the goats. Later he came home with 6 goats and one 10 kg bag of cotton seeds. He put the goats in their new home, before going to check on the eggs. Then he went out and planted the cotton seeds, before bed.
Now he had all the different plants, which meant all that was left to get was the chickens, the rabbits, the pigs, the peacocks, the turkeys and the sheep's, for the land part of his home. Then there were the animals for the water part of his home, which was salmon, trout, cod, herring, mackerel, eel, lobster, and crab. Luckily, he knew where to get all of these animals, but he had to wait for night to come first.
After Don had gotten home with the last run of animals, and had put them in their new homes. He checked on the eggs and they were still doing good, but they still hadn't hatch which made him start to worry. Then he remembered that it can take between 60 to 80 days for a normal turtle egg to hatch. It had only been 58 days since the eggs came out.
In the evening the next day Don check up on the eggs, this time he saw a small hand sticking out of the sand. He with great care moved the sand away from around the hand and egg, which made the little one want to come out faster. ``Hehe easy you, there's no need to be in such a rush'' Don half laugh at the little one softly.
The little one got its head out and started to squeak out loud, it kept on trying to get out and each time it failed it would squeak, but each time it came out a little more, it would make a heavy breathing sound. Then the little one was all out of the egg, it got up on all four and started to crawl to the side of the crate, when it suddenly saw Don, that was when it stopped and tilted its head to the left with big eyes.
Don carefully took the little one up and held it to his face, he was quiet and calm as he held the little one and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt the little one's hands and head on his beak, then the little one squeaked once which made Don open his eyes.
As he was cleaning the little one, he said ``Hmm looks like you are a boy...my little boy...Raph's little boy.'' While putting a diaper on him, Don said to him ``I'm glad you took your first physical so well, good boy'' hmm, but what to call you? How about Rush? No that won't work... Don thought to himself, ``well let's see, you got dark avocado green skin, brown eyes, amber plastron and brown shell...hmm...how about Nero? It's Italian and means dark'' Don asked him, the reaction Don got from his son when he said ``Nero'' again was a big smile with a little blush, ``hehe...Nero it is then'' Don said to Nero with a big smile.
Nero was sleepy after everything that had happened to him, that he fell asleep in Don's arms. When Nero yawned and closed his eyes, Don couldn't help but smile lovingly at him. Don checked on the other eggs, they were fine but not hatching yet.
Slowly Don went into Nero's new bedroom, in there, Don gently put Nero down into bed and gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head, before slowly and quietly left the bedroom. Don went to bed happy that he had a son now, but sad that nobody had been there to share the moment with him. With happy sad tears he fell asleep.
Don woke up early the next morning. He checked up on his son, and found him still soundly asleep, then he checked on the eggs, he found one had a crack in it, but no hole was to be seen. He moved a little of the sand away gently, that was when he saw the egg move a little.
The egg started to move more and a small sound of another crack came. Don stayed still, quiet and a happy sad smile was again on his face, again he was alone to see this happen. The little one suddenly got a leg out, then an arm and then the other leg and arm, now the egg looked like an egg with two arms and legs, that was slowly crawling around until it found the side of the crate, then it stumble a little back, then it went to the side again, but in a small run, it hit the side and the egg cracked open all the way around, the bottom of the egg shell fell down onto the sand.
This was where Don helped the little one, by taking the top part of the egg shell off. The little one had Raph's skin color, dark grey almost black shell, golden eyes, olive green plastron and nails.
Don did that same thing; he did with Nero to this one. Carefully he held the little one to his face, he was quiet and calm as he held the little one and closed his eyes. He felt the little one's hands and head on his beak, the little one squeaked once and Don opened his eyes slowly and smiled.
During the physical Don had found out the little one was a boy; he had put a diaper on him and thought wow ``you really are a dark one...hmm...how do you like the name Rai?'' Don said to his second son. ``Rai?'' Don asked and Rai gave him a big smile with an open mouth.
Before Don left the room, he checked on the rest of the eggs, but there were no signs they were coming out now. Don took Rai with him into Nero's bedroom and put Rai to bed next to Nero, then Don left the room. Rai was to sleepy to care how was beside him, and Nero was still sleeping soundly.
Hmm...Rai, yeah that name fits him well. R for resourceful, A for aggressive and I for intense...mmm...I wonder if there will be a Raph junior, a little RJ if you will? Don thought while making himself breakfast.
...............................................................
6 days later.
Don went in to check on the last two eggs, while Nero and Rai were sleeping before lunch. When he saw one of the eggs start to shake, he heard squeaking from inside the egg, while the little one was shaking the egg trying to get out.
Hmp maybe this is little RJ? Don thought smiling. The shaking made more and more sand move away from the egg, until one arm broke out and went back into the egg shell, then the arms and legs came out all at once and then back in, the little one wouldn't stop squeaking and it started to sound more and more like Raph, when he's getting angry at Mikey.
RJ if you're a boy and Raphie if you're a girl, Don thought with a smile looking at the little one, you are definitely Raph's child, no doubt about it.
The little one then came all out of the shell, by pushing with arms and legs on one side of the egg at the same time. The little one crawled away from the shell, looked around and found Don smiling. Don took the little one and did the same as with Nero and Rai, before giving the little one a physical and finding out the little one is a RJ.
RJ had olive green skin like Don, his shell was Raph's skin color, he had one golden and one brown eye, nails were dark grey and his plastron were a mix of dark amber and seaweed. The different color combinations of the children were amazing to Don, he had not thought it would be like this, and he wondered what the colors of the last one would be like.
............................................................
8 days later.
Three boys so far, I wonder if there will be at least one girl, but so far that is a big no, Don thought while looking at the boys playing together. They were playing a game where they pound their heads together, just like goats do when they fight, but they were charging like an angry bull at each other.
The boys stopped playing when they heard a squeaking sound, they were all looking in the direction the squeaking was coming from, which made Don look and listen, when Don heard it he went into the room where the last egg was, there he saw that the last egg was open, and the little one was trying to get out of the crate.
Wow you have dark grey almost black skin, a dark amber shell, golden eyes and light amber plastron and nails...let me guess you are a boy, right? Don thought before taking the little one up to his face and did the same as with the other three, but the little one did not like the physical at all, the little one wouldn't stop moving around, ``easy, easy I got you,'' Don said while trying to get the diaper on, ``stop, stop it, stop it...Amber stop it!'' Don said and got Amber's attention at once. Amber became calm and let Don finish with the diaper.
......................................................
2 year later.
Don had found out that Amber wasn't being difficult, she was just being to curios about everything, and wanted to know as much as possible about things, just like Don.
``Damo, what to get next?'' Nero asked Don, ``give me your card'' Don said holding out his hand to Nero, Nero gave Don his card with carrots on it, before Don gave him a new card with a cucumber on it and said ``4 of these, got it?'' ``yes'' Nero said with a big smile.
I can't believe it's been 3 years, 4 months and 11 days, since I got kicked out, Don thought to himself, that he was so far away that he didn't hear RJ talking to him, it wasn't until RJ yelled ``DAMO!'' ``huh, yes, sorry RJ, what is it my boy?'' Don said softly, because he didn't want to sound mad at him for something that wasn't RJ's fault.
``What to get next?'' RJ said holding his card up to Don. Don took RJ's green bean card and gave him a pea card and told him ``12 of these, alright?'' ``yes'' RJ said with a worry look on his face. ``What is it?'' Don asked RJ softly ``you miss dad, don't you?'' RJ answered back softly with worry on his face, ``yes, yes I do, but dad is...he is...not here,'' Don said while trying not to cry, ``now go and get the peas, alright?'' ``yes damo'' RJ said sadly before turning to leave.
............................................................
Later that day, at night time.
RJ was walking around in the sewers; he had found his way up to top side and found a manhole and crawled down through it. Eww this place stinks RJ thought, when RJ turned a corner, he saw three big turtles in front of him and they were looking at him with surprise on their faces.
``Blue is Leo, orange is Mikey and red is Raph, right?'' RJ asked them slowly, while pointing at them, ``yes, how do you know that?'' Leo asked him. ``Because purple is Don, my damo'' RJ answered him, ``damo?'' Leo said with a puzzled look, ``damo is a male who is a mom'' RJ said with one finger pointed at Leo, just like Don did when teaching them something.
``What is your name little one?'' Raph asked him, ``RJ as in Raph Junior, why?'' RJ asked back. ``Raph Junior?'' Raph whispered to himself. ``What are you doing here all alone?'' Leo asked him with a firm voice, ``I'm looking for my dad, damo misses him a lot, I know because damo starts to cry every time he talks or thinks about dad, just like today,'' RJ said with tears forming in his eyes ``and it makes me sad, that damo is sad, so I thought that I would try and find dad, so I could get to tell him how much damo loves him,'' RJ said crying ``but now I'm lost and can't find my way back home, and I really want to go home now.''
``Alright, then come with me and I'll help you'' Raph said while kneeling down to pick RJ up. ``Why,'' RJ asked with surprise ``are you my dad?'' ``yes, yes I am RJ'' Raph said with a soft smile, ``dad?'' RJ asked with surprise to Raph, ``yes'' Raph answered him.
``Where have you been all this time?'' RJ said angrily ``do you have any idea how much pain damo has been in?'' ``wow easy RJ, I have been in pain too, because I didn't have damo with me,'' Raph said back at him calmly ``and besides it was damo that chose to leave us in the first place.''
``No, damo was thrown out by the big rat Splinter, because damo loves you'' RJ was yelling at him ``damo didn't want to leave you, that is what damo told me!'' ``wait, what?'' Mikey said surprised.
``Splinter wouldn't do that, he'' Leo started to say before Don stopped him by saying ``yes he would and he did'' ``DAMO!'' RJ yelled while running to him, Don picked RJ up and held him tight in his arms, while giving him kisses on the top of his head.
``I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,'' RJ said crying ``I just wanted to'' ``I know, I heard you'' Don said smiling at him, ``you not mad?'' RJ asked, ``mad for getting dad, no, mad for leaving without me and making me worried out of my mind, yes, big time'' Don said with a firm voice, ``sorry'' RJ answered with a small voice.
``Don, why didn't you tell me about'' was all Raph could say before Don stopped him, ``about what? That Splinter threw me out?'' Don said angrily ``That he told me, that if I ever came back, I would be treated as an intruding enemy? That I gave birth to your 4 children!? What Raph, what!?'' Don took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, while keeping his eyes on Raph's face. ``All of it'' Raph said calmly with pain in his eyes.
``I have to go now,'' Don said breaking the silent ``the other three are waiting for me'' ``Don, may I come with you?'' Raph asked as Don turned to leave, Don stopped and looked at him with pain in his eyes and said ``not if you choose to live with Splinter'' ``give me 5 minutes, please, just 5 minutes'' Raph pleaded to Don ``5 minutes, then I leave with or without you, understood?'' Don said firmly. ``Got it'' Raph said before turning and ran away.
``What about the two of you?'' Don asked Leo and Mikey, ``well I don't know about you, Leo, but I'm with Raph on this one'' Mikey said before he ran after Raph. ``Hey, wait for me!'' Leo yelled after Mikey while running.
When the three came back, they were completely naked ``you ready to go?'' Don asked them ``yes we are'' Leo answered him, ``good, then let's go'' Don answered back. They walked with Don in silence, they didn't want anybody to attack them now, when they had no weapons, even thou Don had his new high tech looking bo stick.
Their jaws hit the ground, when they saw Don's new home. The giant metal construction looked like a turtle shell ``it's about a quarter as big as Manhattan,'' Don said with pride and a big smile ``just wait till you see the inside of it'' ``oh damn Donny, you have been busy'' Mikey said with wonder on his face. ``Looks like when there is nobody and nothing to stop me, that this can happen'' Don said smiling ``no kidding, Don'' Leo said with surprise still in his voice.
As they came inside, they saw trees, grass, animals, farming animals, water and was stopped by Raph saying ``wow, you got a night sky down here'' ``actually, that is what the sky looks like right above us, without all the pollution from the top side,'' Don answered him ``it will show you everything from sunrise to sunrise every day and night'' ``wow'' was all they could say.
They came to a house, that looked like a bungalow shaped like a turtle shell. ``Why a turtle shell Don?'' Mikey asked him, ``because I'm a turtle, not a human'' Don answered calmly. ``Now let's get you to bed little one'' Don said smiling at RJ, ``kay'' RJ answered sleepy which made Don smile lovingly at him.
``Can I tuck him in?'' Raph asked Don ``if you do, you will wake up the others,'' Don said with concern ``and then they won't be going back to sleep'' ``looks like you lose Don'' Leo said pointing down at three little ones at the top of the stairs.
``What are you doing up?'' Don said with a firm voice, ``we wanted to see if RJ found dad, so we waited up after you left'' Nero said with a small smile, ``you knew what RJ was up to and said nothing to me?'' Don said angrily, ``but damo if we told you, would you have gone to get dad yourself?'' Amber asked with sorrow, deep breath ``no, I guess not'' Don said sadly.
``Can dad tuck us in then?'' Rai asked smiling, deep breath ``alright, yes, but only if you will stay in your bed after he leaves your room, understood?'' Don said firmly, they looked at each other before answering together ``yes''
``Up, up'' RJ said reaching for Raph with both arms, which made Raph smile while taking him from Don and say ``alright you, easy'' which made Don smile and say ``their room is downstairs, they will show you the way, won't you?'' ``yes'' Nero answered fast, ``come dad, come'' Amber said while walking down the stairs, jumping up and down with arms above his head Rai said ``up, up'' ``alright, come here'' Raph answered smiling.
Deep sigh ``well guess I might as well show you two where to sleep tonight, until Raph is done with them'' Don said shaking his head as he went down the stairs after Raph. ``Guess so'' Mikey said half laughing, ``sounds good Don'' Leo said.
Nero and Amber went into a room and crawled down into bed, sitting up and waiting for dad to tuck them in. ``Alright,'' Raph said while putting down RJ and Rai ``now who is who? I know you are RJ'' Raph said pointing at RJ, then as he pointed at them, they said their names: Nero, Rai and Amber.
``Good, now you are going to sleep,'' Raph said while tucking them in one by one ``Nero...Rai...RJ...and Amber'' Raph said while giving them a quick kiss on the top of their heads. ``Goodnight my children, I love you'' Raph said from the door, before turning the lights off and closing the door behind him, ``you did it, you got dad home'' Raph heard Nero whisper before the door was completely closed.
Leo stood there waiting for Raph to finish, Leo smiled hearing what Nero had whispered. ``Our room is this way'' Leo said while walking to the room. Raph followed Leo to the room where Don and Mikey were waiting for them. Mikey was sitting in the bed looking up at them, while Don was putting down the pillows and blankets for them.
Lying down side by side Raph kissed Don before asking ``so what do we do now, about the children I mean, what are they going to call Leo and Mikey?'' ``well if everyone agrees, then how about dad? I mean since we only got me to lay eggs, and I don't think you are the only one who wants children Raph'' Don said calmly, ``Sounds about right to me, how about you, Mikey?'' Leo asked ``mhm I agree with you, Leo'' Mikey said smiling, ``then it's settled'' Raph said before kissing Don again.
The end.
