Chapter Text
Two figures sit across from each other in a black space, limited yet full of possibilities. There’s something familiar about the other, something neither can place. Blue light radiates from both of them, casting an eerie glow on their faces. And when they speak, without opening their mouths, the sound reverberates around the space as if trying to find a way out, a crack in the unending gray.
Who are you?
Who are you ?
I know I’m someone, somewhere. Here I’m just me.
I suspect I’m the same.
There's a pause as the two stand up and walk closer to the other.
Where is here?
I’ve seen it before, feels like ages ago.
It can’t have been that long.
No, of course. You’re right.
…
Who are you?
Not again.
I know you. How, when I don’t even know your face?
I don’t know it either.
Then how do you know who you are?
I don’t. I’d hoped you did.
But I don’t.
But you don’t.
So here we are.
Wherever here is.
Whoever we are.
Who are we?
Who am I?
I’m someone.
Somewhere.
Leo opens his eyes and immediately squints at the bright sun. Where did that come from? The last thing he remembers, he was in the sewers and-
That blue thing, the swirl.
Now he’s here, wherever here is, leaning against a tree.
It’s nice though, peaceful. He feels like he’s been walking on eggshells every single day, back when he’s in the alternate him’s lair. It’s nice to get some time to relax, to breathe, without worrying he’s ruining something or making someone upset.
His peace, however, is short lived. A twig cracks in half behind him, someone is sneaking up.
Leo reaches for his katanas, only to grab at air. They took his katanas.
Not good.
That’s fine. He can do this. That’s why he keeps training, even when it seems like he doesn’t have to.
Leo jumps to his feet and spins around to face his potential attacker. Potential attackers , there’s two of them.
They don’t exactly seem, ready to attack, but that doesn’t stop Leo from sweeping the legs of the first one and tackleling the second one. He twists around and locks the second one’s arm in a particularly nasty armbar.
“Ow! Hey Leo, stop it, it's us!”
He releases the armbar just a titch, mostly out of confusion.
How do they know him?
“It’s Casey!” The second one, Casey apparently, cries out. “Casey Jones!”
Casey Jones! A familiar name in a confusing place.
He doesn’t have much time to celebrate this discovery as someone grabs his shoulder, pulls him off of Casey and throws him into the tree.
“Hey, be careful! He's still Leo!” Casey rushes over to help him, then pauses. “You are Leo, right? Raph was really unclear on this whole thing.”
Leo stands up on his own while Casey ponders and brushes the dirt off.
“I’m still Leo, just a different version,” He answers and looks around again, trying to find out where he is. “Where are we, exactly?”
“Rome.” The taller, scarier one with a buzz cut says.
“Rome?? Like Rome Rome?” Leo yells in panic. How the shell did he get all the way over there? And how is he going to get back to his alternate brothers?
“No no no not Rome Rome, Rome New York.” Casey puts his hands up to calm Leo down. “April is already driving here to pick you up, she’ll be here in half an hour or so.”
“Oh. Ok. That’s good.”
“You caught us at a good time, we were just about to head up to Canada. Even though I don’t have a passport. And she doesn’t have a passport. Actually, how were we planning on doing that legally?” Casey turns to the other one.
“Not.” She answers. She really likes one word sentences.
“Not..?” Casey prompts, waiting for her to finish the sentence.
“Legally?” She shrugs as if it’s the most obvious solution.
“Mom we talked about this, you gotta stop doing illegal stuff.”
“And dearest son, I thought I told you I will do no such thing.”
“Don’t make me tell April when she gets here.” Casey threatens, pointing a finger at her.
“You wouldn’t!”
“I so would!”
“Hey uh,” Leo steps in between the two of them so they’ll actually hear him. “Sorry to interrupt but can we go back to the part where you call each other ‘mom’ and ‘son’ because I’m actually more concerned about that than the illegality.”
They both turn slowly to stare at him, making him want to pop into his shell and hide. Can he even do that in this dimension? He is a different kind of turtle but, hey, anyone can probably pop into their shell if the story demands it.
“Right.” Casey says, pulling Leo out of his head, though not out of his shell. “That’s probably something I should explain. So, this is Cassandra, or Casey if she likes you, and she’s my-” Casey starts to explain, but is cut off by Cassandra grabbing his head.
“This is my offspring from the future, I’m very proud of him.” She boasts.
“I’m not born yet, technically, but when I am, she’s my mom.” Casey finishes, still sandwiched between Cassandra's hands.
“So…. there’s two Casey Jones’ here? And one is from the future?” Leo clarifies.
They both nod.
“Holy chalupa this dimension is weird.” He sighs and rubs his hand on his face.
Something changes on Casey's face and he turns to his future mom.
“Hey, mom? Why don’t you go figure out our next stop?”
“Didn’t Raph tell us to watch over…” She pauses to think about what Casey is really asking her. “I’ll be over there.”
“Thanks.”
Leo watches as Cassandra walks away and Casey walks closer over to him.
“Wanna sit down? I know this can be a lot.” Casey offers.
Leo responds with a laugh. “I’ve been here for a while now and there's still new, confusing things popping up every day. Next thing you’ll tell me April isn’t even part Kraang here!”
“I’m sorry what?”
Leo sighs. “Nevermind.” He sits down near the tree again, and Casey sits down next to him.
“It is a lot.” Leo admits. “It’s a lot and I don’t have someone to help make it, not a lot, you know? I’m just tired of it. I want to go home.”
A silence hangs between the two of them for a moment, before it’s broken by Casey.
“I wish I could go home too. Sure, it’s great here and it was, super bad there, but I would give anything for just another day with my family.” He takes a deep breath. “Everyone I knew in my timeline is dead. Leo, Mikey, Raph, Donnie, April, my mom, everyone. And now I live with them, but it’s not the same. It can’t be the same, they haven’t lived the life the ones I knew did. It’s like I’m here with the shells of the people I used to know, there’s so much I want to say that they wouldn’t understand.”
Leo, not knowing quite what to say, but understanding those words on a deeper level than anything he’s understood before, puts a hand on his shoulder.
“You build new connections but nothing will ever be the same, and it sucks.”
The silence returns as Leo looks at Casey in a new light. He seems so young, but he carries a whole lifetime of memories and losses with him. Yet here he is, helping someone he doesn't really know work through a similar problem.
“My dad, Splinter, is dead. I watched him die. Twice, actually. And then I watched him walk down the hall in the lair back in New York. I got so mad at him, I thought I was mad at him, but, I was mad at my own dad. For leaving us so soon and leaving such a big hole in our life. I loved him so much and he was gone before I knew if he really loved me. My brothers, all of us.” He adds quickly. “I, didn’t want to see that happen to anyone here.”
A cool breeze blows by, rustling the leaves of the tree and sending a slight shiver through both Leo and Casey.
Casey stands up shortly after and offers his hand to Leo.
“C’mon, we don’t have much time before April gets here and I want to hear all about other me’s adventures.” He grins.
Leo takes his hand and stands up, falling victim to Casey’s contagious smile.
“Casey Jones, where to start with the fabulous biography of Casey Jones.” He taps his finger on his chin as if it’ll help him think better. “I mean, right off the bat I can say he went to space which is pretty cool.”
“Space?? Aww, I wanna go to space!” Casey whines.
“Maybe after Canada, buddy.” Leo pats his shoulder, smiling.
“Hey mom? Can we go to space?”
Casey runs off and Leo follows close behind, laughing. Maybe this dimension isn’t so weird after all.
__________________
“Hey Splints!” April calls out as they climb down the ladder into the lair.
Splinter and his sons, yes, even Donnie took a break from his lab to wait with the rest of them, jump up from their seats in the living room when they hear April’s voice.
“I brought back your son!” She continues, walking into the living room with Leo as she does.
Splinter quickly scans Leo for any injuries or any signs of distress, but he seems fine. He actually looks better than he did when Splinter first saw him, happier, lighter, almost.
They meet in the center of the room.
“Master Splinter.” Leo bows. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said, those words weren’t meant for you.” He stands up straight again. “I hope you can forgive m-”
Splinter doesn’t even let him get the rest of his sentence out before he wraps him in the tightest hug possible. Leo is shocked at first, but quickly sinks into the hug, shoulders shaking as tears start to flow.
“There is nothing to forgive, my son. You are always welcome and loved here.”
“Thank you, father.” Leo hugs him back.
Another pair of arms is thrown around the two as Raph jumps in on the group hug, dragging April and Mikey in with him.
Only Donnie walks off, alone.